The Turks pave the way for accession negotiations

(B2 archives) The Turks undertake to recognize Cyprus and open the way to accession negotiations

After a few hectic sessions, Turkey and the European Union finally agreed on the terms of the opening of negotiations. Cyprus will have to be recognized before the opening of negotiations on October 3, 2005.

The Turkish killjoy

Turkey played spoilsport and marked the tempo of this last day of the summit, yesterday in Brussels. The agreement reached between the 25 on the opening of accession negotiations on Thursday evening seemed called into question for a moment. Several discussion sessions between the Dutch Prime Minister, Jan Peter Balkenende, who holds the presidency of the European Union, and his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayip Erdogan, and no less than eight versions of draft conclusions were necessary to iron out the differences . If the Turks were shocked by the existence of a way of fallback in the event of failure of adhesion and of permanent safeguard clauses, it is especially in fact the question of the recognition of Cyprus which sowed the disorder. In Turkey, several opposition leaders and part of the press also called on the government to refuse the agreement, feeling the conditions set by the European Union as very harsh and unfair.

Tension escalates

A fine strategist, Erdogan then decided to raise the pressure a notch. After an unsuccessful night session, he threatens in the early morning to take his plane back without approving anything. Or at least spread the word through its diplomats and savvy journalists. The craziest rumors circulate. On the Turkish side, at the Conrad Hotel, one of the Belgian capital's luxury hotels, tension is at its peak. On the European side, two kilometers away, the atmosphere is less tense. But the outcome no less uncertain. Scheduled for 13 p.m., the end of the summit is postponed from hour to hour. Finally, Erdogan accedes to most European demands.

A compromise on Cyprus

A compromise is found on the key element: Cyprus. With the acquiescence of all, including Tassos Papadopoulos, the Cypriot president, baptized “mister No” by his colleagues. There will be no Turkish initials immediately, as planned. But an oral commitment by the Turkish government, recorded in writing in the conclusions, " to be ready to sign the protocol to the customs agreement extending to the ten new Member States before the opening of negotiations”. The nuance is subtle. This amounts to recognition of the Mediterranean island before October 3, 2005. But Erdogan wanted, at all costs, not to appear to give in to European demands. Jacques Chirac, facing the press, has also reframed the issue. " Cyprus is a Member State. We cannot imagine that in an accession process, a third State chooses the States which it recognizes and those which it does not recognize, this is the very basis of accession. (...) It is up to Turkey to choose: either it signs the Ankara protocol and the negotiations begin, or it does not sign it and the negotiations do not begin”.

We write history

Be that as it may, the honor was safe. And the relief of all, politicians and diplomats, clearly visible yesterday in Brussels. Erdogan was thus warmly greeted and applauded by almost all the Heads of State and Government of the European Union and of the three other candidate countries (Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia) present. " We write history commented, emphatically, the President-in-Office of the European Union, Jan Peter Balkendende. " Turkey took our hand. The only shadow on the board, the mention of the Armenian genocide, totally absent. But President Chirac warned, during his ritual press conference, “ if the Turks do not carry out a work of memory, the French would take it into account during the referendum vote ».

(Nicolas Gros-Verheyde)

(Article published in Ouest-France - December 2004)