Word: turkeys
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Early last week, Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan had reason to be optimistic. During a meeting in Ankara, Pope Benedict XVI said he was in favor of Turkey joining the European Union. This reversed an opinion he had delivered previously as a Cardinal, saying the move would be "a grave error against history." But the good news was short-lived. Just days after the Pope's remarks, Olli Rehn, the E.U.'s Commissioner for Enlargement, recommended that the E.U. suspend a portion of Turkey's membership talks just 13 months after they began. The reason: Turkey's continued unwillingness...
Greek Cypriot shipping has long been a contentious issue in Turkey's E.U. debate. Several months ago, Rehn warned that Turkish obstinacy about it could lead to a "train wreck." With no change in Turkish policy since then, Rehn has suggested that the European Commission, the 25-member executive body of the European Union, vote to suspend eight of the 35 tracks (called chapters) of the negotiations aimed at bringing Turkish institutions up to E.U. standards. Britain, Spain, Italy and other countries that have long supported Turkish accession argued for a milder penalty, while France pushed for as many...
...leaders accept Rehn's recommendations, Turkey's E.U. accession train may not be wrecked, but it will have slowed considerably. After initially calling the reprimand "unacceptable," Erdogan said Turkey would continue "in the E.U. direction," while officials in Brussels insisted they were still committed to Turkey's inclusion. "Turkey is not fulfilling all its obligations and so there must be some consequences," said Commission President José Manuel Barroso after the announcement. But, he added, "We don't want to close the door on Turkey...
That door may be more difficult to prop open than Barroso realizes. Prominent politicians across Europe have been expressing a growing skepticism about Turkey's candidacy ever since talks began. Nicolas Sarkozy, French Interior Minister and presidential candidate, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have both said they are against full E.U. membership. Harsher critics, such as Bavarian Governor Edmund Stoiber, have condemned Turkey's press restrictions and limited rights for minorities not as problems to be overcome, but as proof that Turkey is unsuitable for the European club. "Turkey is not a European state, and to admit its accession into...
...Pope came to Turkey with a lot of work to do and words to say on the thorny field of inter-faith affairs. He leaves that...