Posted on 01/26/2008 2:24:45 PM PST by LibWhacker
DAVOS, Switzerland (AFP) - - Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan warned the European Union against becoming a "club of Christians" as he pushed Saturday for Ankara's membership in the bloc.
"If the EU finds itself as a club of Christians.... it is against the very soul of the EU," Babacan told reporters on the sidelines of the annual World Economic Forum in the Swiss ski resort of Davos.
EU heavyweights France and Germany are both opposed to full Turkish membership, and French President Nicolas Sarkozy has been particularly vocal on the issue, arguing that the mainly Muslim country does not belong in Europe.
Babacan regretted that the issue of religion had apparently become a factor in the debate on Turkey's accession.
"Religious lines should never be presented as a border," he said, adding that the current 27-nation composition of the European bloc already contained "huge differences" in terms of culture, religion and language.
"Yet, these countries have been successful to find communality," he said.
"At the end of the road, the decision has to be made over whether Turkey is going to add new richness to the EU, so that the EU has a truly global voice and a truly representative voice," he added.
Babacan also argued that allowing Turkey into the EU would allow the bloc to act as a bridge between the West and the Islamic world.
France and Germany have proposed offering a "privileged partnership" instead of full membership -- a compromise flatly rejected earlier this month by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Turkey has so far opened talks in six of the 35 policy fields that candidates are required to complete before accession.
The EU froze negotiations on eight chapters in 2006 in response to Turkey's refusal to grant trade privileges to Cyprus, which Ankara does not recognise, under a customs union pact with the bloc.
Babacan also refuted worries that Turkey's powerful military -- which has unseated four governments in as many decades -- wants to scupper Ankara's EU, democratic and economic ambitions.
Relations between the army and the ruling Islamist-rooted Justice and Development Party (AKP) party are fraught, with the military fearful that the prime minister wants to roll back Turkey's cherished secular state.
Babacan said that democracy and freedom are fast becoming so engrained that a return to an undemocratic military autocracy closed to the outside world "isn't even going to be an issue."
"The reform process is becoming more and more irreversible. After opening up (the country) so much, anyone who dares to close the country to any extent will get into serious difficulties," Babacan said.
"This country ... has only one important way to go, and this is democratic. Human rights, freedoms and peace will be the new source of strength."
He added that Turkey's military supported joining the EU and that EU-Turkey negotiations in Brussels and in Turkey often involve army representatives.
"The Turkish military has been a good supporter of Turkey's EU accession process ... although it is not a black and white thing," he said.
"It is a transition progress which we are trying to steer in a successful way."
Tell it like it is, RR!!!
Don’t know why we can’t get a single presidential candidate who has the guts to be as truthful. It’s pathetic. It’s going to be the death of us.
I have zero sympathy except for the collateral damage (i.e. Poland, Great Britain etc.) and I fully understand as well as support our State Department today being 100% behind Turkey and their EU bid, which they are. Stick the noses of the “core of Europe” as they like to see themselves (i.e. Germany and France) into that big sticky terd THEY laid down. They made promises, today they should honor them. That’s something their media in Germany isn’t broadcasting, but their Schroeder made these deals at our expense. We need to remember that, even if they (The Germans or French) don't.
“Not a single word about the oppression of non-Muslims in Turkey.”
When the infamous Article 301 is repealed, when Orthodox hierarchs and clergy and monastics can go out in the streets dressed as the priests/religious they are, when the theological school at Halki is reopened, when the lands and buildings of the Ecumenical Patriarchate are returned to it and after that glorious day when Agia Sophia is returned to Holy Orthodoxy and the Ecumenical Patriarch celebrates the Divine Liturgy of +John Chrysostomos on its altar table, then...then maybe.
As for Bush wanting it now, well that’s just one more reason to impeach him and assure a proper legacy for him...and perhaps salvage the Republican party in the process!
You mean in addition to the one Bush and the EU are trying to establish in Kosovo????
Interesting thought. I voted for him twice, but I'd happily see Bush impeached in a heartbeat to save the conservative movement.
More like the ladder over the wall of a plague ridden madhouse. Whether the ladder is there to get into the madhouse or to let the insane out, it's not a good idea.
“I voted for him twice....”
So did I!
They made promises, today they should honor them.
"So did I!"
Me, too! The only excuse I have is that I remember the alternatives!
Where the Euros made a seriously bad mistake was to ever suggest to Turkey in the first place that they might be admitted into the EU.
Now they have a lose-lose situation. If they let them in, it will destroy Europe. If they refuse to let them in, the Turks will get madder and madder. And at any time the generals may lose their weakening control of the rising wave of Muslim fanaticism.
The same thing in this country. We should have drawn the border between US and Mexico and made it clear that we liked them, but we liked them on their side of the border. As with Turkey, too much was promised, too much weakness was shown, and there is no really good way out.
But it’s better to hold the borders than not, because that is the lesser evil.
Since when is Europe Christian? I thought that concept was officially ruled out as part of the EU Constitution.
What you’re suggesting amounts to letting off those who fell into our back, who played with the lives of our troops and cost us billions, with no consequences.
Even the Europeans are already realizing the danger and they will not let Turkey enter, but we should let them squirm and not be the ones that look like the bad guys. Let the Germans take the egg in the face when they say “Nein Danke” to the Turks for no reason other than the obvious. They made the promises; we shouldnt help them out of the hole they dug in an effort to undermine us. Just like we are responsible and are paying the price in Iraq (And we are), they should stand good for their words and actions.
http://www.msc.navy.mil/sealift/2003/May/army.htm
Turkey in the EU is not going to happen, dont be worried about that. But we can buy favor with the Turks whom we need by standing behind them and it should not be a high priority to excuse the deals the Germans made with the Turks. In 2003 the Germans were very Stolz (Proud) of these actions. Their chancellor more or less said the GWOT is a figment of George Bushs imagination. They outright denied any Islamic threat although the political elite knew the truth very well and internally already began clamping down by changing immigration, deportation laws; starting a massive eaves dropping program which coincidentally was targeting things like Mosques ...
Youre making the assumption that Turkey has a chance, they dont. But the weasels should be asked to clean up their own poop and its a little bit much asked for us to help them. Let them deal with the backlash through the entire Islamic world. Let them deal with 2 million pissed off Turks in Germany The political smoothing over, the intentional avoidance of this issue within German political circles is not without reason. While a high priority issue in Turkey, even in some other Muslim nations, Germany is near silent. But eventually they will have to make the call, and when they do, it wont be pretty. This is one of those issues which may change as administrations change out. But for now dont expect us to change course, and frankly we shouldnt even after 20 Jan 2009.
Frankly, the Euros are more likely to become a club of Muslims.
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