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...Although the report does not mention them by name, it clearly targets French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who have both said that Turkey can never be allowed to join the E.U. The two leaders came to power after the E.U.'s unanimous decision in 2004 to formally start accession talks with Turkey. But they instead talk of Turkey having a "privileged relationship" with the E.U. rather than full E.U. membership. (Read "Target Germany: A Second Front in Afghanistan...
...This hostility has not been missed by the Turkish. Support in Turkey for membership fell from over 70% in 2004 to 42% by the end of last year. The sense of being excluded has further demoralized Turkish reformers, the report says, leading to "a regrettable slowdown in the reform process" that is a condition of membership. This, in turn, feeds skeptics in European countries who point to the lack of reforms as proof that Turkey is unworthy of joining the E.U. It's a vicious circle that jeopardizes Turkish domestic reforms and hurts the E.U.'s own interests...
...blame for the impasse. Since the ruling Justice and Development Party came to power in 2003, it has been jostling with the army, raising fears of a military coup. Speaking in Brussels in January, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan admitted the crisis had delayed E.U. accession talks. The report by the Independent Commission on Turkey says the country still needs to shed its "authoritarian legacies." (Read "Behind the Turkish Prime Minister's Outburst at Davos...
...exactly these initiatives that could make Turkey even more valuable for the E.U., which is trying to boost its clout in the Middle East. "The E.U. is losing leverage in Turkey, just as Turkey is becoming a real regional power," the report says. "There is no other country whose leaders can and do travel so often between capitals as varied as Moscow and Damascus, Tehran and Jerusalem, and be received with respect and be able to advocate important policy goals so widely." (See pictures of Obama in Turkey...
...More than anything, though, the report urges the E.U. to reaffirm an honest commitment to Turkey's eventual membership. It says the attraction and support of the E.U. has been a vital locomotive as Turkey tries to modernize and reform: "Turkey-E.U. convergence is a positive process that has done much evident good for both sides and it is this virtuous circle that must be re-established...