Turkey in EU will be ‘blow to terror tactics’, says envoy

Date: 25/03/04

THE EU would be dealing a blow to Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda by welcoming Turkey into its bosom, according to Ankara's EU envoy Oguz Demiralp.

“When Turkey becomes a member, the prophecy of a clash of civilizations will prove to be a fallacy,” he told European Voice. “It will prove to everybody that European values are indeed universal values, which apply also to Muslim societies and people. When people come together around universal values, religion does not matter so much.”

There is a growing feeling in Brussels that Turkey will be invited to begin accession talks at December's EU summit.

The ambassador said that the three key measures, sought by the Union's institutions as necessary before the green light can be given, should be adopted by the country's parliament in April or May.

All three measures are presented as essential in a report due to be debated by the European Parliament next week. They are:

• Placing the army under civilian control;
• allowing parliamentary scrutiny of defence spending, and;
• transforming boards for higher education and the audiovisual media into civilian councils, immune from military influence.

Although the report by Dutch Christian Democrat MEP Arie Oostlander welcomes the reforms introduced by the ruling AK Party, it cites the hostility to change among the army and judiciary as major problems. Oostlander contends it is “still uncertain” if Turkey will meet the Copenhagen criteria for EU membership.

Oguz Demiralp, Turkey's Ambassador to the European Union, has said that admitting Turkey to the EU would be a blow against Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda.

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