SABAH- Columnist Gungor Mengi comments on Turkish-EU relations. A summary of his column is as follows:

“The European Union is where Turkey’s future lies. 80% of our people want to join the EU. Whoever blocks this road will be condemned by the people. Exploiting the issue, which in turn is harming our EU bid, is said to be populist in nature. If those, laying mines on the roads leading to the EU have populism in mind, knowing that they will draw the reaction of the people, aren’t they rather clumsy? True Path Party (DYP) leader Ciller declared that she won’t attend the leaders’ meeting on the EU if Prime Minister Ecevit cannot make it. The reason may be that this summit aims to turn the present pro-EU tendency summit in the Parliament into action. Ecevit and his party have no opposition to the aim of the summit. The source of the problem trying to be solved by the summit does not stem from the prime minister. Ciller says that she would prefer the EU over Ocalan, but her aim is not to open the road for the EU but to create chaos using the prime minister’s illness as an excuse and to catch an opportunity to enter the elections as a partner of the coalition. The coalition parties have paid the price of the economic crisis, now it is the time to reap the fruits. The inflation rate announced yesterday for the month of May shows this fact. The pressures from the opposition parties for a general election will increase. The correct thing is not to create a government power vacuum over either the EU or the economic crisis. This is not just in the interests of the country but also in the interests of the coalition government parties. Mr. Ecevit says he will not hand over his post. No one can do anything on the issue. However, he can help in reaching agreements which will ensure the present coalition’s continuing its job until elections. He can prepare an action plan with his partners when it may be necessary for him to withdraw and, by announcing this plan, may end the present uncertainty. Nationalist Action Party (MHP) leader Bahceli created the background for such a plan by saying that initiatives through transfer which affect politics are not ethical. The rest is up to Ecevit.

SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION