BY DERYA SAZAK
MILLIYET- Turkey is on the European Parliament’s agenda. Before next week’s pivotal European Union summit, we’re seeing far more diplomatic traffic and lobbying by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Brussels than in Ankara and Istanbul. I recently attended a two-day international conference on ‘Turkey and the EU: Reasons for a Historic Choice” in Brussels along with hundreds of scholars, journalists and politicians. Many of us discussed the draft statement prepared by EU Term President the Netherlands for the Dec. 17 summit. In spite of some domestic pessimism, the EP expects that Turkey’s membership talks will begin in the second half of 2005. The conference’s closing session offered clear messages. EP President Josep Borrell, European Socialist group head Johannes Swoboda and Greens group head Daniel Cohn-Bendit all said that they were in favor of giving Turkey a date for talks. It’s understood that an agreement has been reached for the 2005 timetable, excepting the EP’s Christian Democrats. However, if a new document based on new conditions is issued before the summit, it’s uncertain if the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) would accept a formula of open-ended talks. It’s unclear how Ankara would present the decision to the public and how the public would react. European politicians also know this.
Borrell spoke of his impressions of Turkey, saying, ‘The EP will accept starting membership talks with Turkey. Ankara should know that when we say yes, no is simply out of the question. Even if it requires a long and difficult negotiations process, our decisions will be yes.’ Responding to criticism of his faux pas of saying ‘Kurdistan,’ Borrell said, ‘The Kurdish nation lacks national unity.’ For Borrell, EU membership constitutes a foundation for democracy, freedom and welfare. After Spain underwent a similar process in the 1970s, it was able to move forward under the EU.