Erdogan: Failure To Set A Date For Turkey To Start Full Membership Negotiations Is Double Standard

COPENHAGEN - Justice and Development Party (AK Party) leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan said failure of the European Union (EU) to set a date for Turkey to start full membership negotiations was a double standard. Erdogan said they had to bear the consequences of harming of Turkish people's positive views in this respect, stressing that this would not be beneficial for the world peace.
Erdogan and Rasmussen spoke to press following their meeting.
Erdogan said it was not possible to understand that Turkey was not given a date to start full membership negotiations by showing deficiencies in adjustment and implementation.
Erdogan said Copenhagen criteria would be fulfilled to higher the living standards of Turkish people, noting they would not be made for the EU to take Turkey.
Erdogan said, ''the European Union (EU)'s not setting a date for opening of accession talks with Turkey is nothing but a double-standard.''
''We will fulfill Copenhagen criteria whether or not the EU accepts our membership. We will fulfill Copenhagen criteria in order to improve living standards of our people. However, the EU will have to endure results of its negative attitude towards Turkey. Its attitude will not be beneficial for peace in the world, and for economic developments,'' he said.
Erdogan and Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen of current EU term president Denmark held a joint press conference following their meeting.
Speaking at the press conference, Erdogan said, ''we exchanged views with Mr. Rasmussen at the meeting. We have entered a criticial turning point in relations between Turkey and the EU this week. The decision to be taken at the EU's Copenhagen Summit will have an important place in the history.''
''Turkey has taken very serious steps in its EU membership process. The first and the second EU adjustment packages are about to be finalized. Turkey has taken a series of steps in the last 18 months which have not been taken in such a short period of time by any of candidate countries,'' he stressed.
Recalling that six countries had won date for start of accession talks at Luxembourg summit and six countries had won date at Helsinki summit although they could not fulfil whole Copenhagen criteria, Erdogan said those realities were obvious.
''At the moment, however, there is only one country left. And it is Turkey. It is clear that the EU's not setting a date for opening of accession talks with Turkey is nothing but a double-standard. Here it is impossible to explain this in another way,'' he said.
Stressing that the power and the opposition in Turkey were very determined, Erdogan said it was not a sincere approach to say that 'Turkey wins a date when it fulfils the Copenhagen criteria', adding, ''because Turkey has taken its steps regarding this issue.''
Drawing attention to Latvia example and Gypsies problem, Erdogan said that there were one million Russians in Latvia and they were still treated as stateless people but Latvia would be EU member in near future.
Stressing that six million Gypsies were suffering very serious problems under the Copenhagen criteria, Erdogan said that those were mentioned also in commission reports, adding that different standards were applied also at this point despite those reports.
''As those realities are clear, it is impossible to comprehend that Turkey is not given a date to start full membership negotiations by continiously bringing deficiencies in some adjustment and implementations. Getting a date to start negotiations is not an end. It is not definite how long this process will last. Those who get a date to start full membership negotiations will be a member of the EU on May 1, 2004. This is a fact. I believe that Turkey's getting a date in Copenhagen would be an examination for the EU,'' Erdogan stated.
Erdogan said, ''whether or not the EU accepts Turkey to membership and whether or not it sets a date to set up full membership talks, we will fulfill the Copenhagen criteria to higher the living standards of our people, not for the EU to get us to the Union.''
AK Party leader said, ''EU's getting Turkey to membership or its setting a date to start full membership negotiations is a requirement of strategic interests of both the EU and Turkey.''
Erdogan said, ''as globalization is underway in the world, and as efforts are underway to prove this, Turkey's getting a date from the EU, and its acceptance as EU full member will prove a meeting of intercivilizations.''
Stating that Turkey would be a model showing how the culture of Islam and democracy could live together, Erdogan said that Turkey had a great importance in that respect.
Erdogan stressed that the EU should not ignore Turkey which had a great young population on December 12, stating that EU should not take steps which would not be appropriate for it.
Noting that EU should give up double standard, Erdogan said that EU should not harm Turkish people's positive approach on December 12. He stated that if this positive approach was harmed, it would affect negatively world of peace and also developments in the economy.
Erdogan added that they should fulfil globalization in justice and peace.
RASMUSSEN: ''THERE IS NOT ANY DOUBLE STANDARD''
Rasmussen has defended that as a candidate country, Turkey was not exposed to any double standard, adding, ''criteria should be fulfilled in real life not on paper. Turkey wins a date when it fulfils these.''
Rasmussen said that Erdogan had presented him the letter that included Turkey's commitments and had been requested earlier.
Noting that the reforms that the government had transferred to the parliament were explained in the letter, Rasmussen said that the Turkish government maintained its determination.
Stating that Erdogan had told him that they had made those reforms especially for Turkish people, Rasmussen said that a decision would be taken on Turkey on Thursday or Friday.
Noting that he had paid a series of visits to the EU member countries and he would finish those visits with the meeting he would have with his Greek counterpart, Rasmussen said it was too early to say what kind of a decision would be taken at Copenhagen summit.
Rasmussen said, ''this would be wrong, we can't reach a healthy solution.''
Recalling that Turkey was a candidate country and Turkey was 'same' as other candidate countries, Rasmussen added, ''there is not any double standard. Turkey should fulfil the criteria. Criteria should be fulfilled in real life not on the paper. Turkey wins a date when it fulfils these.''
Rasmussen said that they should see the reforms not on papers, but in the real life, and added that Turkey which was subjected to the same rules with other candidate countries, would get a date for the opening of accession talks with the EU as soon as it fulfilled criteria.
Rasmussen said that period of accession talks process depended on Turkey's progress in its reform process.
Stressing that Turkey should fulfill political criteria in order to get a date from the EU for opening of accession talks, Prime Minister Rasmussen said that all candidate countries had to fulfill accession criteria.
When asked, ''you said that you have seen determination of Turkish government, and received a letter from Turkish government. Despite all this progress of Turkey and the letter of commitments, do you think that Turkey is not sufficiently qualified for getting a date at Copenhagen Summit for opening of accession talks? What do you think about Latvia example and double-standard?'' Rasmussen said that he did not have any concerns about Turkey's determination, and stressed that they appreciated Turkey's progress.
Noting that he saw the determination for fulfillment of some basic reforms in Turkish nation, Rasmussen said that they should see the implementation of the reforms not on the documents but in real life. He added that the same rules are valid for Turkey like other candidate countries. He said that Turkey will receive a date for negotiations when it implements criteria.
When asked whether Turkey's expectations of Europe will be damaged if double standard continues and Turkey does not receive what it expects on December 12, Erdogan said that the decisions about continuation of the reforms will not be related with EU. He added that they will implement the reforms and Copenhagen criteria whether EU accepts Turkey or not. Indeed, the implementations have started and will continue by increasing, he said.
''When it comes to what it brings and it takes if the EU does not give a date for negotiations, of course the EU's decisions will yield a result. This result will be evaluated by the ruling party, institutions and organizations and we will determine a path and follow it.'' Erdogan said.
When a reporter said, ''you underlined double standard with the examples. What are the reasons of implementation of double standard according to you when assessing the issue with your friends?'' Erdogan said that he heard some voices on ''Turkey's dimensions, Turkey's big population and Turkey's being a Muslim country'' from both leaders and bureaucrats of the EU.
''There are groups and circles who say that you should not accept Turkey to the union and that a country whose almost a hundred percent of people is Muslim cannot join the EU. We don't want to see EU as a religion group. EU is not and should not be a Christian club. EU should be an address of compromise of civilizations, not an address of a conflict of civilizations. That's why, December 12 is very important. That's why, a negotiation date that will be given to Turkey will be a date of starting of compromise of civilizations,'' he noted.
When a journalist recalled that a news report that appeared in German press stated that Rasmussen said a date would not be set for Turkey in Copenhagen, Rasmussen said for many times he had told Turkey that it should fulfill Copenhagen criteria to get a date to start full membership negotiations. Rasmussen said he did not say anything else.
When asked about the process which will convince them that Turkey started to implement the criteria, Rasmussen said this depended on the implementation of reforms. He said they saw the progress recorded so far, and that the Parliament accepted very important reforms in August. Rasmussen pointed out that the new government presented a very comprehensive package to the parliament, and that they appreciated the determination of the government and supported this reform process.
Rasmussen said procedure within the EU was very open, adding that the EU Commission would prepare a progress report about the candidate countries. He said this would happen in October. He said Turkey would get a date for accession talks when it fulfills the political criteria.
Rasmussen said he would not be able to say how long it would continue, adding it would depend on the progress in implementation.
Replying a question which said, ''there are some measures that Turkey earlier expressed about the Cyprus issue. Did prime minister and president of the EU member countries accept the risk of this acting?'' Rasmussen said, ''the new government in Turkey has put a comprehensive reform package into practice. And clearly, it has the will to bring these reforms further. Because, this is in favor of Turkish people. This is a quite wise decision and a very good thing for Turkey. It is very early to say a final word about the Copenhagen summit. I carefully listened to my counterparts in the EU and Mr. Erdogan. All these comments will have part in my final evaluation. The EU will support the reform process in Turkey,'' Rasmussen said.
LETTER OF INTENT FROM ERDOGAN TO RASMUSSEN LISTS STEPS TAKEN SINCE ANNOUNCEMENT OF PROGRESS REPORT
Ankara, which is trying to get a date to open accession negotiations with the European Union (EU) at Copenhagen summit, listed the steps it has taken to adjust to political criteria and other planned steps in the letter of intent it sent to EU Term President Denmark's Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen.
Sources told A.A correspondent on Monday that the letter of intent signed by Prime Minister Abdullah Gul and its annexes were submitted to Rasmussen by Justice and Development Party (AK Party) leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan earlier in the day.
The letter wrote about adjustment laws, initiatives made since the report on progress recorded by Turkey was announced and future reform projections.
Turkey has not legalized all the reforms planned to be made till the Copenhagen summit but the AK Party government listed all the reforms which it is determined to fulfil in its letter to Rasmussen.
After Rasmussen's message that ''it would be very beneficial if the government sent a letter showing what Turkey would do to meet required criteria to be submitted to political decision-making mechanisms of Europe'', commitments about fulfilment of criteria were written down by the Secretariat General for the EU and Foreign Ministry.
The draft prepared by the Secretariat General for the EU was given its final shape by the Foreign Ministry. The first two pages of the letter tells about the adjustment packages of the 57th and 58th governments.
The letter stresses Turkey's determination to adjust to Copenhagen political criteria and underlines that the official expectation of Turkey was to be given a date for opening of entry negotiations at Copenhagen summit.
In the letter, it is said that there would be more obstacles before setting a date for negotiations with Turkey with a 25-member EU.
Ankara states that a date is expected at the Copenhagen summit, notes that ''at least, this decision should be made during Salonica summit'' and lists the ''reservations of delaying a decision on this issue to a 25-member EU.''
Contents of the fourth and fifth adjustment packages are given place in the annex of the letter comprised of almost ten pages.
In the letter, it is noted that laws which were not sent to parliament during the 57th government are taking place in the fourth and fifth adjustment packages and law on press, Turkish Penal Code, law on associations, meeting and demonstration are shown as example.
Developments recorded since the progress report was announced, regulations put to practice and implementations are explained in the annex.
Future projections were also mentioned in the annex of the letter and what Turkey can do for adjustment to EU standards in the future is explained.