STAR- Columnist Zeynep Gurcanli comments on last week’s EU Brussels summit where important decisions were made concerning the ESDP. A summary of her column is as follows:
I believe that Turkey is currently facing one of the greatest diplomatic crises of its history, although our politicians are blind to this due to their tunnel-vision preoccupation with campaigning ahead of next Sunday’s polls. The European Union summit held last week in Brussels was of great importance to us not only because the EU member countries discussed whether or not to set a specific date for the beginning of our country’s accession negotiations, but also because they reached agreement on another significant issue, the European Defense and Security Policy (ESDP). This new arrangement was made in spite of the already existing Ankara Document, a settlement prepared through the joint efforts of Britain, the US and Turkey. Upon Greece’s opposition to the Ankara Document earlier this year, the other EU member states prepared another proposal on the issue to present to Turkey. This new proposal is likely to spur new diplomatic crises since it is blatantly skewed towards Greece’s views.
The EU wants certain candidate countries slated to join the Union next year to take part in a new European army to be formed under the ESDP. For instance, the Greek Cypriot administration, which is not recognized by Turkey, is one of these countries. When the Greek Cypriots join the Union in 2004, as they are shortlisted to do, they will also gain the right to join both the European army and the ESDP’s decision-making mechanism. The worst of this is that the Greek Cypriot administration will have the right to take part in military operations carried out using NATO facilities.
In addition, this new proposal is also likely to cause new problems concerning the Cyprus issue. The proposal stresses that NATO, of which Turkey is a member, cannot conduct operations against any EU member or candidate countries and that all activities carried out by NATO should be fully concordant with any relevant UN resolutions. There is an ulterior motive behind these diplomatic statements, one meant to forestall possible Turkish actions on Cyprus. One could even argue that the EU is trying to persuade the world that the presence of Turkish troops on Cyprus is ‘illegal’ and in breach of UN resolutions. That’s what the new proposal points to. Even although the parties had already reached an agreement on the ESDP, the EU keeps moving the goal posts.
Since Turkey isn’t an EU member, it can neither be represented nor express its views at EU summits where such important decisions are made. Furthermore, the EU countries are putting pressure on Turkey to make concessions on certain significant issues since our country is currently working to get a date for its accession talks. At this point, what Turkey needs is a strong government to deal with these problems. I hope that the Nov. 3 elections will bring our country such a government, one which won’t let us down.
SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION