David Cameron flew in a hurry to visit Turkey after spending a few days with his mates in Washington. The visit to Ankara makes sense as he was instructed by Washington to do all he can to ensure Turkey's entry into the EU. So Cameron goes to Turkey and publicly declares his anger about the delay with the accession talks. He is not at all angry with the fact that the Turkish military is occupying (at great expense to the Turkish people) 37% of Cyprus in other words a country so desperate to join the EU is occupying part of EU territory?? Is this some kind of a joke? Shouldn't Cameron (who was so anti EU and wanted us to have a referendum on whether we stay in the EU) be looking into how to resolve one of the fundamental problems that will surely mean that the Turkish state is not complying with the rules and therefore not eligible for full membership? What happened to the sacred principle of the rule of law? Or does the rule of law not apply if you are a small country and can't offer any oil deals to bigger ones?
There is also the theory that both Blair and Cameron want enlargement to ensure that the EU project collapses so it could be that neither Blair or Cameron are at all interested in the welfare of Turkey they simply want to see Europe go down to ensure that the USA continuous to be the big daddy for at least another century!
I support Turkey's quest to join the EU but the Turkish state needs to comply with the rules and the rule of law in particular. Its like saying that you want to join a cricket club but you want the cricket club to play football and judge you by your football skills! What next?
Cameron's 'anger' that the EU was dragging its heels in accepting Turkey's membership application, expressed at yesterday's news conference in Ankara, shows a sad lack of awareness that:
ReplyDelete(a) Turkey does not 'recognise' Cyprus, an existing EU Members, and forbids overflight of Cypriot airplanes and the use by Cypriot ships of her ports, contrary to fundamental EU conditions for Membership,
(b) Turkey remains in illegal occupation of one third of Cyprus after 36 years since invading it, despite contless UN and EU resolutions that this occupation must be terminated
(c) Turkey has yet to satisfy the EU that it is now conforming with all conditions for membership.
I know that Cameron's coalition government is in the process of making draconian cuts to expenditure in its Civil Service Departments, but I would have thought that enough of the Foreign Office still exists to have briefed him on the exact situation regarding ALL the good reasons why Turkey's application to join the EU is still getting nowhere.
Not good enough, Mr Cameron!
Martin St Albans
Thannks Martin
ReplyDeleteYou are of course correct but it is my opinion that the EU should do more to make Turkey comply with the criteria.