Straw warns of "terrible" consequences if Turkey talks falter
Foreign Secretary Jack Straw warned of "terrible" repercussions for co-existence with the Muslim world if the European Union fails to follow through on the process for admitting Turkey to the union. Straw said: "We cannot afford to get this wrong," in a speech in which he argued for Turkey to begin long-awaited accession talks on October 3, despite Ankara's refusal to recognize the government of the Republic of Cyprus. "By welcoming Turkey we will demonstrate that Western and Islamic cultures can thrive together as partners in the modern world. The alternative is too terrible to contemplate," he said. Straw stressed that Turkey had met conditions for starting accession talks that could take several years and praised "wide-ranging and courageous" reforms in Turkey. But Ankara still had some way to go in implementing reforms, he added, pointing to the charges brought against world-famous Turkish novelist Orhan Pamuk for commenting on killings of Kurds and Armenians. "If and when Turkey does become a member, it will be after years of structural reforms and with a long track record of sustained and stable growth," Straw said. EU leaders last December gave Turkey the green light to start membership talks, after Ankara first applied to join the union in 1987, even though the country still refuses to to recognize the government of Cyprus. Note EU-Digest: The Cyprus issue actually is very different from what it is made out to be by some in the EU leadership. Cyprus was admitted to the EU through the back door, even though it failed to adhere to the requirements on reunification by the UN, and after the Greek half of the Island voted no in a referendum to the reunification with the Turkish half of the Island. The Turkish half voted yes on the reunification. The Turkish issue is becoming more and more muddled because the EU Commission and EU member states are persistently doing a poor job at informing its citizens on the importance of having this prosperous, young and dynamic secular Muslim country as a member state on the South Eastern border of the EU. In addition, statements made by President Chirac of France and Angela Merkel in Germany are now also pouring oil on the fire of the uninformed public fears about Turkey. It is therefore important that the millions of EU visitors, including businessmen, politicians and tourists, who have been in Turkey for any length of time speak out against this hypocrisy in respect to Turkish EU membership. If you need to know more about Turkey and the steps leading to its membership in the EU it is recommended to request the CER pamphlet on the subject. This pamphlet can be ordered from the CER website www.cer.org.uk or by contacting Kate Meakins at kate@cer.org.uk call: + 44 20 7233 1199. Turkey is part of Europe, they already know this, the rest of us in Europe should make them feel welcome. We will all benefit in the process.
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