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a sceptical point of view Prove me wrong ! by Sıtkı ULUÇ journalist Maybe, it is because I have been living in the EU countries for thirty years of my life and have been following the EU integration as a journalist for twenty-five years that I do not believe in the EU anymore. During this time, I have appreciated the sincerity, the tolerance and the honesty of the people I have met in Western Europe. On the other hand, I have disliked the political hypocrisy in some of these countries, especially towards Turkey. I know that this hypocrisy also exist in Turkey, maybe even greater. But I can now say that I know better the EU, its culture, its strength, its assets and weaknesses. Also, I believe that the EU will have neither the honesty nor the courage to give the green light to Turkey to start immediatly the accession talks at the end of the year. I have been participating (and still continue to do so) for a long time in the democratic struggle in Turkey. When looking at the past thirty years alone, I am proud of Turkey's remarkable progress and the major steps it has taken, notably thanks to EU pressure, I have to admit. I will soon return to my country, with in my heart a feeling of love and friendship towards the people I have met here. But also full of bitterness and with a kind of disappointment because I feel that I did not succeed in explaining myself as I would have liked, neither as a European Turk nor as a Belgian (which I am proud of) of Turkish origin. The bitterness and disappointment are not only down to the politicians and leaders of these countries whose lack of communication with their own people has always surprised me. They are also attributable to their Turkish counterparts who have never managed to explain or defend themselves to the EU as they should have done. How could one not be disappointed?
I have given thirty years of my life and twenty-five years of my professional career to defend the EU in Turkey and Turkey in the EU, and this is where we stand now: begging the politicians to give us a date to start the accession negotiations, which future is, in fact, totally uncertain. I have enough and I do not believe it anymore. However, before leaving for my country, I would like to tell these politicians what I really think: You have been unfair with Turkey and the Turks! Voluntarily (or due to incompetence sometimes), you did not try to know, understand or learn about Turkey. You have been incapable to seize the hand of friendship that was extended to you by the whole country and its people. In my opinion, this will not change at the end of the year. Go on. Prove me wrong!
There has been too much hypocrisy, too many lies, too many low blows, too much indifference! And too many disappointments …
Let us talk about it: Turkey has suffered a great deal from terrorism, with tens of thousands of families who were victims of terrorism. The PKK terrorism has intended to part me from my Kurdish brothers, the fundamentalist terrorism has intended to drift me away from my religion and terrorism full stop, which has intended to divide my country and people. I know what I am talking about since my father-in-law was assassinated by fundamentalist terrorists, a murder masterminded by the Mullahs in Iran. He was a former Social-Democrat Minister, a journalist, a professor in Political Science who would light the way for the Turkish Youth on the path of democracy and the principles and values of the secular republic. While we were burying those victims, I would see the Mullahs passing by in Brussels and in other European capitals. I was naively surprised to see some terrorists being protected by Belgium and other countries, and some members of terrorist groups wandering inside the European Parliament when the name of their lousy organisations would appear in the EU list of terrorists. We have even seen an Öcalan of the PKK, the number one public enemy and one of the bloodiest terrorist in the world, being arrested in the embassy of an EU country…by the Americans! Then, there was September 11th, then March 11th! We, the common people, the men and women in the street, have cried for these innocent victims. However, you the politicians, you have understood neither our pain nor our anxiety concerning the future of our country and children. If you had understood, you would have done more than just attend funerals to fight the surge of international terrorism. Should you have understood, you would not tole-rate anymore those who assassinate our people and values.
I have accumulated new disappointments after seeing what has happened in Bosnia, in Kosovo, a few hundred miles away from Brussels, in the centre of Europe…Then, the division in the EU during the Iraq crisis when new sources of problems and terror have been created and which will cost us dear. In the meantime, I have listened to you discussing about a "European Defence" and heard some of you admitting that the EU was "small" in terms of common foreign policies and defence. A European defence without Turkey, without the United States? I am laughing sadly when watching you. I am disappoin-ted. Can you prove me wrong? I have followed the results of the EU Parliament elections and noted people's non participation, the rise of the Far Right, the comfortable reinforcement of the Eurosceptics… How could one not be disappointed? Turkey is the only democratic and secular country in the Muslim world. It is a modern country, which has a great potential, a large internal market and a future that is turned towards Europe. The only things that this country has received from you are low blows. Incidentally, would you like to discuss about Cyprus? What the Turkish Cypriots, who have
trusted you, did to you to deserve such an unfair punishment? They have voted yes to a new state, to equality, to the plan that you have proposed. How can you keep talking about a solution and reunification when seeing the Greek Cypriots strongly and continuously rejecting the hand of friendship hold out to them? The ignorance and incompetence of some people part us, and sometimes quite permanently.
Not only the Turks, but the whole world knows about the man to whom Turkey owes everything; its modernity, its secularism, its democracy, its liberties and its unity…Without Atatürk, not only Turkey but also Europe would have been negatively different today. Despite this, we can hear a Commissioner or a MEP declaring that the Turks should abandon Kemalism if they want to enter in the EU! Well, in that case, we would like to say "No, thank you". We care more about our liberties, our secularism, our democratic values and Atatürk's legacy than the EU. We do not want Turkey to become a new Iran, Syria or Iraq for the sake of the EU …Turkey will remain a free and indivisible republic, whether this is accep-table or not to you. Not only the Turkish army is attached to the freedom brought by Atatürk (and it is its constitutional duty to protect the country's secularism and indivisibility), but also the Turkish people with its youth, women, workers, countrymen, civil servants and businessmen.
The Vatican says that "Turkey's entry in the EU will be problematic"; Mr Valery Giscard d'Estaing that "Turkey's entry will be the end of Europe"; Mr Alain Juppé that Turkey will "change the nature of the EU" and the Far Right both in the EU and Turkey that they are opposed to Turkey's membership. Also our Greek friends keep refusing the friendship hand which is extended to them…I believe that the secular (not an Islamist one) Republic of Turkey will remain a candidate country, at least until the end of the year. Also, I will not mention the meaning of the twelve yellow stars on your flag (although in Turkey we are talking more and more about it) nor the ridiculous request by the EU Commission "to change the Turkish alphabet" as if your own alphabets allow you to spell correctly the names of all your nationals. There are some people who still want to believe that the European politicians will eventually know or understand Turkey. As for me, after thirty years of co-operation and good-will, I do not believe you anymore. I think that I know you well enough. At the end of the year, Turkey and the whole world will witness your failure (another one) in regard to Turkey; when you will try to find one of your "magic solutions" to allow you to gain time, and without considering the number of EU "member states" which do not fullfil the famous Copenhagen criteria. However this time, it will not work. Because the Turks have had enough and they will not take it any longer. Please go on. At the end of 2004, be honest with Turkey, with the Turks and with yourselves. Prove me that I am wrong and that I did not understand anything at all. Go on. Prove me wrong !