Kikapu wrote:CopperLine wrote:Kikapu wrote:runaway wrote:
says who? EU support of public is all time low. Government made it clear KKTC is more important than membership talks. Status quo can go on another 135 years.
That's a nice grandstanding when Turkey has nothing to lose at this point, because Turkey needs to reform before she can even become a EU member. Cyprus is the last obstacle in her way, but if Turkey were to be serious about becoming a EU member and that the EU gave them the green light, then lets see Turkey make the same statement. I doubt it very much. Why would Turkey go through all the reform changes in Turkey to become a EU member if they are going to say in the end, "err, sorry EU, we rather keep northern part of Cyprus than become a full member".! Not likely.!
Kikapu you asked,
Why would Turkey go through all the reform changes in Turkey to become a EU member if they are going to say in the end, "err, sorry EU, we rather keep northern part of Cyprus than become a full member".! There are two parts to the response : first, EU candidacy status was given at Helsinki under the predecessors to AKP (ironically, to Ecevit) so the AKP inherited candidate status over which their initial enthusiasm has waned. So there are many reforms made in the early/mid years of this decade which have now turned into a go-slow. The AKP has changed its mind about Europe.
Second, I don't think that it is an either-or in the AKP's view. If they see northern Cyprus as a bargaining chip then they're increasingly realising that EU accession is not a game in which they want to play this particular chip. Popular support in Turkey for the EU is at an all time low, and the AKP has lost any 'enthusiasm' that it had for the EU. (I fear that those concerned with Cyprus who think that EU accession was key to Turkey and therefore open to leverage on this issue have missed the boat).
CopperLine,
Here is a very long interview with Ali Babacan in April 2008 by the Financial Times. I will post one segment of that interview to entice you and others to read the rest with the link provided.
As for the general attitude of the Turks regarding the EU, it is hardly surprising when they realise that there needs to be reforms and changes within Turkey in order to become a EU member and not become an automatic member without reforms just because they have been "brainwashed" in believing that the EU needs Turkey more than Turkey needing the EU, therefore we can demand membership on our own terms. Once reality had set in, then the attitudes changed, but for how long before they accept that change will be coming to Turkey sooner or later that will benefit them all in the long run. I've heard similar complaints from some locals while I was in Turkey couple of month ago, but if you look at their car's number plates, they have already adopted the EU style plates with the blue on the left side of the plate with "TR" initials. All that is missing is the circle of stars representing the EU emblem of it's flag. Peoples attitude may be one thing at the moment, but the government's attitude toward the EU is the other. In time, people will once again accept what they need to do to become a member as the Turkish Government has. The RoC has the luxury to wait for a settlement based on their terms and not Turkey's, since they are already an EU member and Turkey wants to become one, and that path to the EU for Turkey will at some point needs to pass through the RoC. When will that happen, is anyone's guess, but that's where Turkey's EU membership road will ultimately will lead to, to the RoC.!
Transcript: FT interview with Ali BabacanPublished: April 14 2008
Financial Times: I’d like to start, if I may, with the accession negotiations and where they’ve got to. I know that [European Commission President José Manuel] Barroso and [EU enlargement commissioner Olli] Rehn were in Ankara last week, so I’ve been very interested to find out what they were saying and what you said to them, and where you think this stands.
Ali Babacan: Since the end of 2004 Turkey is not just a candidate country for the EU but we are a negotiating country and accession country. And, in order to get that status, in 2003 and 2004 we made many reforms to meet the Copenhagen criteria sufficiently. That was only possible when we did the amount of reforms which were necessary to exceed the critical threshold, so to say which we did. It was October 2005 when we had our negotiations framework document accepted by the EU member states and Turkey so that our negotiations formerly started. Now we are in a process, this is a process which will last many years which will continue until Turkey becomes a full member of the European Union.
After the end of 2004, after the date which I said that we have fulfilled the Copenhagen criteria sufficiently, it was time for us to deepen our reforms, in a way, to refine our reforms in the political area. When I talk about political reforms this is about democratisation, this is about practices of fundamental rights, freedoms, this is about rule of law, and Turkey has gone through a very important transformation process in all of these areas. A lot has been done. A lot remains to be done also.
This is one path of reforms, I should say, which are of a political nature, but then, with the negotiations starting, we also opened a new path in a way of reforms…in order to adopt the EU acquis. Turkey has declared a programme which will last until 2013. We declared this last year in April, actually.................
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/cb8de71a-0a57 ... fd2ac.html 
