Turkey prevents release of NATO papers in bid for EU defence role

Date: 19/10/00

By Craig Winneker

TURKEY is blocking the release of sensitive NATO documents to EU officials in a bid to gain leverage over the Union's efforts to establish an independent military force.

The delay comes despite previous signs that Ankara would cooperate on the issue, and diplomats warn that the stand-off could sour relations between Turkey and the EU at a delicate time in Ankara's bid for Union membership. "Turkey in general is being difficult in the negotiations," said one. "They have been creating quite a few problems."

Turkey has threatened to withhold its support for the European security force if it is not given a decision-making role in military actions launched by the EU. Only last month, Union officials were optimistic about the chances of reaching an accord with Ankara on this issue after it agreed to participate in discussions on the proposed rapid reaction force.

But the EU has made no concessions to Turkey since then to allay its concerns about its future role. The Union has promised to consult Ankara when crisis-management missions are being planned and give it a command role when they are being carried out. But under the current plan, only EU member states would be involved in actually deciding to launch a mission.

At a meeting of NATO defence ministers in Birmingham last week, Ankara once again took a hard line. Turkish Defence Minister Sabahattin Cakmakoglu said afterwards that extensive talks between the two sides had moved them no closer to agreement.

Turkey's position now is that it will block cooperation in some areas, such as sharing sensitive NATO papers, if the Union does not make similar concessions on other issues, such as the decision-making process. "We want progress in all areas of cooperation in a parallel fashion," said a Turkish diplomat. "You can interpret that as blockage, but we do not agree."

However, officials say the delay in handing over the requested documents has as much to do with NATO's institutional structure as it does with any Turkish intransigence.

They say that, as is often the case with proposals which need to be approved by all 15 EU member states, efforts to get all 19 NATO members to agree can delay the process indefinitely. "Getting to consensus at 19 is even more difficult than getting to consensus at 15," said one NATO official.

As a result, Turkey's objections to handing over documents to the Union are stalling the whole process. "NATO has not negotiated with another institution before, and so is having some internal problems dealing with this," said one expert.

But there are signs of progress. US Defence Secretary William Cohen's remarks at last week's NATO ministerial meeting struck a balance between support for the European security and defence policy and for Turkey's resolve to play a major role in any EU military actions. Cohen said the US backed the initiative, but insisted that the new organisation should work alongside NATO and not create "a separate planning bureaucracy".

The US recognises the importance of the new Union defence role, and American diplomats in Brussels are devoting more time to the issue. US officials who have traditionally focused on relations with the EU are also holding more talks with their counterparts at NATO headquarters.

Turkey is blocking the release of sensitive NATO documents to EU officials in a bid to gain leverage over the Union's efforts to establish an independent military force.