Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

ANKARA: Referendum Surprise for Turkey

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • ANKARA: Referendum Surprise for Turkey

    Referendum Surprise for Turkey

    Zaman
    10.01.2004 Friday


    After the approval of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK) in the parliament
    put Turkey-European Union (EU) relations back on track, the French
    referendum demand inflamed the discussions about Turkey in Europe.

    First Nicolas Sarkozy, who is expected to lead the ruling Union for a
    Popular Movement (UMP) party come November, and now French President
    Jacques Chirac, who strongly supported Turkey so far, entertains the
    idea of holding a referendum on Turkey.

    Political parties other than Radical Left and the Greens, both of
    which have no impact on political life in France, view Turkey's
    membership either negatively or as conditional.

    Gathering the rightist parties under one umbrella, UMP defended from
    the beginning that Turkey has no place in Europe. Meanwhile, the main
    opposition Social Democrat Party wanted Turkey to recognize the
    So-Called Armenian Genocide as a prerequisite to starting
    discussions. Despite his party's negative attitude, Chirac, who sends
    warm messages to Turkey, announced that he would make his decision
    according to the results of the Progress report. In addition, polls in
    France indicate that more than half of the French do not want Turkey
    in the EU.

    Political parties did not hold back from using Turkey as a political
    tool in recent local and European elections. After it became
    increasingly obvious that the progress report will most likely be
    positive, the referendum issue was thrown into the mix. It has reached
    a point that the rightist parties seem likely to turn the EU
    Constitution referendum, which is planned for 2005, into a "yes" or
    "no" referendum on Turkey.

    French Parliament EU Delegation Vice President Christian Philip
    comments that the end of this process amounts to the "EU running into
    a brick wall." Phillip, in order to emphasize the importance of
    France's attitude, reminded that Charles de Gaulle vetoed Great
    Britain. The EU parliamentarian suggests that other countries are
    likely to take the issue to referendum as well.

    Meanwhile, this is not the first time that a referendum has been
    required for a candidate country's EU membership. In 1972, then
    President Georges Pompidou had sent the British membership, which De
    Gaulle had vetoed twice, to referendum. Only 68 percent of the public
    said "yes".

    The referendum demand in France could be interpreted as the first
    concrete confrontation between a Europe that has so far regarded
    Turkey's accession to EU as "distant" and a Turkey that sees Europe as
    a reality.


    10.01.2004
    ALI IHSAN AYDIN
    Paris
Working...
X