Vienna, in Austria, is where invading muslim hordes were turned back hundreds of years ago, saving much of Europe.
Posted on 10/03/2005 9:38:38 AM PDT by knighthawk
AUSTRIA has pushed the European Union to the brink of a diplomatic crisis by refusing to drop its objections to Turkey's bid to become the first predominantly Muslim nation to be a full member of the European Union.
The Austrian stonewalling pushed Turkey's 40-year campaign to join the EU close to collapse after emergency talks between EU foreign ministers broke up without agreement just hours before entry negotiations were due to start.
Amid frenetic diplomacy and warnings of dire consequences if the EU rejected Turkey, British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw chaired fraught negotiations through the night in an attempt to stop Austria from torpedoing the membership talks.
"It's a frustrating situation, but I hope and pray that we may be able to reach an agreement," Mr Straw said.
Membership talks with Turkey, which were agreed in principle last December, had been due to start at a special ceremony yesterday, beginning a process that is expected to take 10 years.
The deadline for an agreement to begin the talks passes overnight, Australian time.
Failure to start the talks on time would only deepen an EU crisis triggered by French and Dutch voters' rejection of the bloc's draft constitution in May and June. Opposition to Turkey's EU hopes was one reason the constitution was voted down.
Austria has demanded that Turkey be offered a "privileged partnership" as an alternative to full membership, an offer that Turkey has made clear is unacceptable. Although Austria stands alone on the issue, it has the power of veto.
In a final attempt to change Austria's mind, British Prime Minister Tony Blair telephoned Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schussel, and Mr Straw held repeated meetings with Austrian Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik, warning her of serious consequences if the EU rejected the Muslim country.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan also phoned Mr Schussel to try to reach a deal.
Mr Erdogan told Turkish television: "Either the EU will decide to become a world force and a world player, which would show its political maturity, or it will limit itself to a Christian club."
Failure to secure the start of Turkey's entry into the union would be humiliating for Mr Blair, who made it one of the priorities of his six-month presidency of the EU.
Ms Plassnik refused to bow under the pressure of being confronted by all her fellow EU members.
"We are not afraid of difficult situations," she said. "There are limits, and we are about to explore them now."
Opponents of Turkish membership claim that the country is too big, too poor and too culturally different to join the EU. With the EU in crisis over the rejection of its constitution by French and Dutch voters, they claim that it is not capable of absorbing the Muslim country.
Before the talks, Mr Straw gave warning about the effect it would have on relations between Islam and the West if Austria wielded its veto: "This is a crucial meeting for the future of the European Union. We're concerned about a so-called clash of civilisations.
"We are concerned about this theological-political divide, which could open up even further the boundary between so-called Christian-heritage states and those of Islamic heritage. The heavy responsibility rests on all member states."
In Ankara, Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul huddled with his advisers awaiting news that Austria had ceded ground.
Despite its EU ambitions, Turkey has threatened to turn its back if Vienna gets its way.
AFP, AP, The Times
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It looks like Austria is doing what several EU governments would like to do, but haven't got the stomach for.
Kuddos to Austria.
Hooray for Austria.
Vienna, in Austria, is where invading muslim hordes were turned back hundreds of years ago, saving much of Europe.
Only the insane would allow Turkey admission into the EU.
And among the Insane are the British and Americans.
Why is our government supporting Islamofascist Turkey for this. Let Turkey be isolated for the punishment what it has done for Iraq War.
My personal view is that a nation should be European in order to qualify for membership in the European Union.....
Vienna--September 11, 1683.
This is a stupid move that frustrates the goals of the West in general and the Bush Administration in particular. The whole idea is to have a carrot and a stick -- if you sponsor terror we will destroy you, but if you embrace modern values and ideals, as Turkey has done, we will reward you. By refusing to allow by far the most modern Islamic state into the EU, a functioning capitalist democracy, Europe is sending the message that nothing Muslims do will be sufficient, and that message legitimizes the terrorists.
Istanbul isn't in Europe?
Turkey isn't Islamofascist. It's a pluralist, liberal democracy. Go to Saudi Arabia, then go to Turkey. It's a world of a difference.
Good for Austria ... more German than the Germans.
Austria POPULATION --- 8 million
Screw Turkey. Have you forgotten how they did us at the beginning of the Iraq war? Screw 'em...twice.
I dont blame austria. Enjoy your Islamic caliphate EU. RIP.
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