Good for you, Austria.
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
Agreed. You should have seen them in 1939.
Best news I have heard all day! This is wonderful and I can only hope that (despite the Austrian Empire being allied with the Ottoman Empire in World War I) Austria sees the way clear for the preservation for what made Europe great. England has been way too pro-Turkish for centuries (e.g. Crimean War and the 1878 peace treaty) and I am glad to see their threats not moving Austria.
Good for them! Let's see how long they can hold out. Islam is at war with the world. NO Muslim country should be admitted into the EU. Once they get in they'll start to change things, make demands, make threats. You know it and I know it. And Austria knows it. Why doesn't the rest of the EU know it?
How was Turkey any different from France or Germany in that respect? The Turkish government wanted to allow US troops, but the elected legislature vetoed the plan. That's the way decisions should be made, whether we agree with them or not. The fact is, even though it is sometimes at odds with the United States, Turkey is a bulwark of freedom and stability in an unstable and unfree region. It is an ally of Israel and a modern democracy. To exclude Turkey from the EU is to send the message that Turkey can go to hell, that Europe doesn't care about it, which is exactly what the crazy Islamists tell the Turks the West thinks about them.
What part of 'Europe' is so hard for people to understand? A "European Union" is for Europeans, and whatever Turkey may be it obviously is not European. Some kind of "priveleged partnership" as Austria has proposed is plenty of 'reward' for anything Turkey needs to be rewarded for..... why on earth should the EU start expanding into the Middle East? Makes as much sense as a "North American" union that starts expanding into Asia....
This is an admirable action on the part of my grandparents' birthplace.
I am very well familiar with the geography of the region, since I've lived there. Note that I said "a nation should be European"; I did not say "a country should be in Europe".. ;^)
EU waits on Ankara's entry talks decision
From that article: Condoleezza Rice, the US Secretary of State, had earlier intervened phoning Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan giving America's continued support on a deal.
Quite frankly I do not understand what the US has to do with EU's membership negotiations. (Nor do I consider the EU has any right to interfere in say trade negotiations between the US and Mexico.)
True, however border controls are already back in place throughout Europe, following the Madrid bombings, so terrorists would still have to sneak across several guarded borders. Not a guarantee, certainly, but a safeguard. In any event, it doesn't seem like terrorists are having too hard a time getting into Europe at the moment, so I'm not sure how much worse things will get.
And quite right you are!
Yep!!
Turkey smerky, screw 'em.
Much of it is physically in Europe. And it is as much a European country, culturally speaking, as Greece or Poland. Have you been to Turkey?
Makes as much sense as a "North American" union that starts expanding into Asia....
Well, NAFTA protocols now include Chile, which isn't, as far as I know, in North America, and NATO includes a few countries (including Turkey) that seem mighty far away from the North Atlantic.
Turkey was historically in Asia minor its not european.
I'm not agreeing with the decision, just saying it's not the be-all or the end-all. Turkey is an ally of the United States and Israel in the war on terror, regardless.
Umm.. No it's not. Only 3.05% of Turkish territory is in Europe, and just less than 10% of the population.
Turkey showed their true colors on the Iraq war. To hell with them.
Eastern Thrace is 23,764 sq km (9,175 square miles). Anatolia is 755,688 sq km (291,773 square miles).
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