MILLIYET- Columnist Sami Kohen comments on possible EU reaction to last week’s Supreme Election Board (YSK) ruling concerning Justice and Development Party (AKP) leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan and three other politicians. A summary of his column is as follows:
It should be seen as natural that Europe and the wider international community, which have been lately preoccupied with German elections and the Iraqi crisis, wasn’t terribly interested in last week’s Supreme Election Board (YSK) ruling concerning Justice and Development Party (AKP) leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan and three other politicians. As a matter of fact, world press coverage of the matter didn’t go into much detail. EU officials didn’t address the issue much either. Obviously some circles in the EU interested in Turkey are following these developments closely. Some European diplomats have expressed their displeasure as well. One of the reasons for this is that Westerners -- whatever the reason -- are generally opposed to political prohibitions and restrictions. The YSK’s decision was looked at through this prism. Some stated that the contradiction between recent Turkish legal arrangements and the articles of some laws still in force has created an ‘abnormality.’ In addition, it comes to mind that this incident occurred just before the publication of our EU Progress Report, which is an unlucky situation in terms of timing. In fact it’s obvious that the prohibition imposed on these four politicians will appear in the ‘problems’ section of the report to be published on Oct. 4.
How much will this affect Turkey’s EU membership prospects and the decision to be handed down at the Copenhagen summit? In the words of one analyst, ‘If the EU intends to give Turkey a date at the Copenhagen summit, this wouldn’t create an obstacle.’ Yes, the YSK decision wasn’t warmly welcomed in Brussels and Strasbourg. This constituted another excuse for those who don’t favor Turkey’s membership. Certainly it would help Turkey’s prospects if such a situation didn’t exist. Now Turkish diplomats have to make a special effort to dispel the suspicion created by this development. Meanwhile, if the EU is really intent on giving Turkey a date, there is one thing left for Erdogan to do so Turkey won’t be hurt by this situation. He should go to Brussels immediately and tell the EU, ‘Don’t use me as an excuse,’ and in this way help efforts to ensure that Turkey’s membership bid isn’t stymied. Such a move might be effective and would also signal the importance the AKP places on the EU.
Ankara’s official stance is that the EU doesn’t have the right to question the truth and validity of a decision taken by Turkey within its legal system. Along these lines, Turkey can give as examples the recent banning of the separatist Batasuna party in the Basque region of Spain as well as the case of Joerg Haider, former leader of the Freedom Party, the coalition partner in Austria two years ago which was forced to withdraw under intense pressure from the EU. Certain parallels can be drawn between these developments and the situation in Turkey. However, there are also important differences. The closing down of the Batasuna Party resulted from the ETA’s active support for terrorist actions, not from its wish for ‘freedom.’ However, Spain took a great deal of flack from the EU for its decision. It’s true that there was a harsh reaction against Haider in Austria. Doesn’t it show that the EU intervenes in domestic affairs when necessary? Moreover, Haider’s participation in elections hasn’t been prohibited in Austria...
SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION