Mehmet Ali Birand:AKP avoids EU for fear of losing 3.5 pct of the votes
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Şubat 27, 2007 14:57
The accession project to get into the European Union was the primary factor setting the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government apart from all others. It started demolishing taboos soon after it took office. It took steps that no government has dared until now.
I am sure you remember those days.
We were not convinced in the beginning.
We thought all of this was just showing off. We thought it would be forgotten shortly after and expected that it would fall prey to the status quo.
It turned out to be the opposite.
It created a revolution on the Cyprus issue. It dispensed with the official ideology. It brought forward the Copenhagen criterions and it continued on its way. It became a hero in the eyes of people like us, who got sick and tired of being enclosed with invisible strings for years.
Erdo?an surprised us all.
Gül made us all happy.
It was as if we were in a dream.
The AKP showed it was different with the EU project.
It demonstrated that it does not have the intention to turn secular Turkey into a country ruled by religion with a secret agenda.
Then what?
Then, the climate started changing.
The current started changed course especially as the elections drew closer.
The AKP came to a point of deceiving its own child. Right now, no one is even mentioning the EU. The attitude is as if they are ashamed of it.
Firstly, as the result of a costly mistake by the Foreign Ministry, it trapped itself regarding the opening of our ports to Greek Cypriot ships. Then it put everything on hold because of the elections. Here are the bottlenecks where Turkey's EU project got stuck:
1) The list is led by the failure of Article 301. The government could not make the necessary amendments even though Erdo?an's thoughts are different. It is clear that the nationalists in the party have convinced the prime minister.
(Let's hope that they will not touch it until after the elections because if they try to handle the issue beforehand, the result will be an amendment that is nonfunctional. It would be better if the issue is left until after the elections so that a proper amendment can be made.)
2) They have not taken steps concerning the issue of opening ports to Greek Cypriots.
(Turkey knows it cannot advance in accession talks without first resolving the ports problem. However, no one dares.)
3) Minority Trust Funds – Heybeliada seminary.
(The AKP thinks differently than all the other parties. Especially the Erdo?an and Gül duo do not accept the official policy regarding issues such as property held by trust funds and the Patriarchate. They clearly state their thoughts. Just the same, they could not do anything during the passing of the Foundation law or regarding other issues. The Foundation law came out to be insufficient due to pressure from nationalists within the AKP. It is waiting for its turn as it got vetoed by the president. Let's hope the results of the elections are waited for to make the changes.)
4) They failed to assume a policy regarding Armenia.
(Even though the Erdo?an–Gül duo had a different attitude on this matter they again could not take any steps due to the elections.)
5) Communication
(The weakest point of the AKP has been communicating with the EU. It has been unable to shape a communication policy toward Europe within the party and in the country. It could not show any leadership characteristics either.)
Why did it assume such an attitude?
I wonder, just like you.
Why did the AKP distance itself from this project that distinguished it?
Can it be afraid of losing the elections?
No.
The AKP is sure that it will win the elections. Their skepticism is not about losing the elections. What really bothers the party is the possibility of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) passing the 10 percent threshold and entering Parliament. A government official told me: “There may be a possibility of a coalition if the MHP enters Parliament. This is why saying that we cannot address the EU issue” was actually stating the truth.
So, what will change after the elections?
We were not convinced in the beginning.
We thought all of this was just showing off. We thought it would be forgotten shortly after and expected that it would fall prey to the status quo.
It turned out to be the opposite.
It created a revolution on the Cyprus issue. It dispensed with the official ideology. It brought forward the Copenhagen criterions and it continued on its way. It became a hero in the eyes of people like us, who got sick and tired of being enclosed with invisible strings for years.
Erdo?an surprised us all.
Gül made us all happy.
It was as if we were in a dream.
The AKP showed it was different with the EU project.
It demonstrated that it does not have the intention to turn secular Turkey into a country ruled by religion with a secret agenda.
Then what?
Then, the climate started changing.
The current started changed course especially as the elections drew closer.
The AKP came to a point of deceiving its own child. Right now, no one is even mentioning the EU. The attitude is as if they are ashamed of it.
Firstly, as the result of a costly mistake by the Foreign Ministry, it trapped itself regarding the opening of our ports to Greek Cypriot ships. Then it put everything on hold because of the elections. Here are the bottlenecks where Turkey's EU project got stuck:
1) The list is led by the failure of Article 301. The government could not make the necessary amendments even though Erdo?an's thoughts are different. It is clear that the nationalists in the party have convinced the prime minister.
(Let's hope that they will not touch it until after the elections because if they try to handle the issue beforehand, the result will be an amendment that is nonfunctional. It would be better if the issue is left until after the elections so that a proper amendment can be made.)
2) They have not taken steps concerning the issue of opening ports to Greek Cypriots.
(Turkey knows it cannot advance in accession talks without first resolving the ports problem. However, no one dares.)
3) Minority Trust Funds – Heybeliada seminary.
(The AKP thinks differently than all the other parties. Especially the Erdo?an and Gül duo do not accept the official policy regarding issues such as property held by trust funds and the Patriarchate. They clearly state their thoughts. Just the same, they could not do anything during the passing of the Foundation law or regarding other issues. The Foundation law came out to be insufficient due to pressure from nationalists within the AKP. It is waiting for its turn as it got vetoed by the president. Let's hope the results of the elections are waited for to make the changes.)
4) They failed to assume a policy regarding Armenia.
(Even though the Erdo?an–Gül duo had a different attitude on this matter they again could not take any steps due to the elections.)
5) Communication
(The weakest point of the AKP has been communicating with the EU. It has been unable to shape a communication policy toward Europe within the party and in the country. It could not show any leadership characteristics either.)
Why did it assume such an attitude?
I wonder, just like you.
Why did the AKP distance itself from this project that distinguished it?
Can it be afraid of losing the elections?
No.
The AKP is sure that it will win the elections. Their skepticism is not about losing the elections. What really bothers the party is the possibility of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) passing the 10 percent threshold and entering Parliament. A government official told me: “There may be a possibility of a coalition if the MHP enters Parliament. This is why saying that we cannot address the EU issue” was actually stating the truth.
So, what will change after the elections?