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Europe

Turkey Won't Accept Any New EU Criteria

2005-06-27

Turkey's prime minister said the country will not not agree to any new conditions for European Union membership, adding that Turkey expects "honest politics" as it begins negotiations to join the bloc.

Honesty from a politician? What next, charity from a banker?

Do you think they've caught onto the fact that the pea's not under any of the the shells yet?

The EU has already imposed tough conditions on Turkish membership. Turkey must recognize Cyprus before the talks open in October, show progress on Kurdish rights, improve the economy and limit the military's influence in politics. Ankara is also expected to treat ethnic and religious minorities equally and implement penal code reforms. Still many European voters are balking at letting in the poor, predominantly Muslim country of 70 million people, a decision that would extend the EU's borders to Syria and Iran.

Much as I sympathize with the Turks, being fed a line as they have been, and jerked from pillar to post, I can also sympathize with the Euros. I lived in Berlin in the mid-70s, before the cultural problems achieved their present dimensions, and it wasn't pretty then...

EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said this week that the bloc should have an open debate about Turkey's candidacy. The country is scheduled to start membership negotiations with the EU on Oct. 3. "Turkey is not ... renegotiating anything," Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters late Saturday. "If you impose new things on countries from one day to the next, especially at a time when negotiations are about to start, that would not be right, " he added. "We are used to honest politics, that's what we expect and want."

Posted by:Fred

#17 Fred wrote:

Much as I sympathize with the Turks, being fed a line as they have been, and jerked from pillar to post, I can also sympathize with the Euros. I lived in Berlin in the mid-70s, before the cultural problems achieved their present dimensions, and it wasn't pretty then...

Well, I could sympathize with the Euros more, except they seem to have stumbled upon the winning formula for taking immigrants from relatively secularized countries like Turkey and Morocco and turning them into radicalized religious extremists, and furthermore, the article states:

The EU has already imposed tough conditions on Turkish membership. Turkey must recognize Cyprus before the talks open in October, show progress on Kurdish rights, improve the economy and limit the military's influence in politics. Ankara is also expected to treat ethnic and religious minorities equally and implement penal code reforms.

Traditionally Turkey's military has been a relatively liberal, secularizing force in the country. So not only do they radicalize their own immigrants, they want to impose measures to help limit the institution that limits the radicalization of Turkey itself.

So I'm definately not impressed with them.

Posted by: Phil Fraering 2005-06-27 22:52

#16 Shipman has these obscure moments, Barbara. Last week he asked me what I used to sharpen my claws.... at least that's what I think he was asking. Shipman, darling, you need to speak more plainly for us simple females, ok? ;-)

Posted by: trailing wife 2005-06-27 22:23

#15 Don't know what list you mean, Ship, but I don't do IVs.

I am willing, however, to shoot certain "special" people if they ever cross my path. (Realizing that I'm in a long line behind AP, OS, etc. ;-p)

Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2005-06-27 16:25

#14 Good heavesn Barb! That's just plain mean.... do you have special IV needles for neighbors on "the list"? :)

Posted by: Shipman 2005-06-27 15:02

#13 And what's that on his upper lip?

Dang, the boy can't even grow a proper mustache. I've seen more hair on 17-year-olds. :-(

Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2005-06-27 14:05

#12

We are used to honest politics

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Best line I've read today! :-D

Oh, wait.... He's serious?

Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2005-06-27 14:03

#11 And this, in turn, would form an almost irresistable nucleus to a Middle East Common Market.

Hummmm...... very unlikely. It'll never be like the Euro zone, more likely the Bazzar Zone. The good news is that the BZ would have 12,000 pages of rules that would be absolutely ignored.

Posted by: Shipman 2005-06-27 13:14

#10 I see Mr. Erdogan is being amply rewarded for siding with the Axis of Weasels two years ago.

Posted by: Mike 2005-06-27 12:44

#9 Anonymous

Irakis are, mostly, Arabs ie they see themselves as naturally superior to the Turks since Allh elected an Arab.

And Turks, are emparented with Mongols not with Arabs, remember how they conquered the Arabs, how they, not the Arabs saved Islam when it was on the verge of crumbling (after the fall of Spain to Christian hands and in addition Turks did most of the fight during the Crusades), how tehy were backstabbed by them and that their national hero strongly rejected Arab "cultural" domination and adopted latin alphabet, occidental law and forced occidental clothing.

Posted by: JFM 2005-06-27 12:16

#8 Is this article Murat bait?

Turkey backstabbed us, now they are whinging because the French backstabbed them and nobody will speak up for them. Shoe's on the other foot now.

Had they let the 4th ID in, and act as a REAL ally, we'd not have nearly the problems in Iraq because those Sunni areas would have been rolled up coming out of Turkey. And we might have the time to turn from Iraq to help Turkey out.

But the Turks backstabbed us, so they should stop expecting sympathy and help. I'm willing to let Turkey rot until the military there stages a coup, which they eventually will. Screw the Turks.

Posted by: OldSpook 2005-06-27 12:10

#7 Why would Iraqis want to form a partnership with the Turks? They quite remember their last merger under the Ottomans.

Posted by: ed 2005-06-27 12:00

#6 It is painfully obvious that the solution to Turkey's problem lies South, not North. If Turkey could form an economic partnership with Iraq, maybe even with the suggestion of an eventual military alignment, the two nations alone would easily dominate the Middle East, Central Asia, and northern Africa. And this, in turn, would form an almost irresistable nucleus to a Middle East Common Market.

Posted by: Anonymoose 2005-06-27 11:13

#5 "Turkey is not ... renegotiating anything," Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters late Saturday. "If you impose new things on countries from one day to the next, especially at a time when negotiations are about to start, that would not be right, " he added. "We are used to honest politics, that's what we expect and want."

Much like the unwanted little snot-nosed kid that keeps trying to tag along despite enduring merciless hazing, the Turks are failing to get the hints being thrown their way.

Posted by: Bomb-a-rama 2005-06-27 10:30

#4 Erdogan - what a trip. First he wants to tag along with the budding caliphate - but once the caliphate's not looking so well, he tries to tag along with the EU and now that it's no longer in vogue, I wonder who he'll be trailing after next. Tip to doggy boy, don't climb on our leg, we'll kick you across the room. Now go bother someone else.

You'd think the Turks, in a country with so much potential, would want someone who leads rather than someone like Erdoggyboy, whose willing to wag his tail and follow whoever throws a few meager scraps his way. Sad.

Posted by: 2b 2005-06-27 09:57

#3 Change the title to "Turkey Abandons all Hope of Becoming Anything More than the Rotting Carcass of a Failed Caliphate."

Posted by: Tkat 2005-06-27 09:20

#2 I re-invented the internet.

Posted by: Algore 2005-06-27 03:21

#1 Turkey saw that even France, which set such high standards, couldn't agree to this EU constitution. This is just an attempt to find quickest route out of a sinking ship.

Posted by: Charles 2005-06-27 00:29

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