Austria leads EU opposition to Turkey

Divisions over EU expansion to Croatia and Turkey will surface at a meeting of Europe’s foreign ministers on Monday.

UK foreign minister Jack Straw will be chairing the meeting and will seek to delay detailed talks over the term of Ankara’s EU entry bid until September.

Austria, Hungary and Slovakia are set to insist that if pre-planned negotiations with Turkey are to begin on October 3 then talks with Croatia must also begin at the same time.

Zagreb’s membership bid is currently stalled amid EU demands that Croatia steps up efforts to hand over indicted war criminal Ante Gotovina.

Diplomats are concerned that if Zagreb fails to make a breakthrough, EU Turkey talks could be blocked by Vienna, Budapest, Bratislava.

Austria will also be holders of the EU's six month rotating prsidency in January 2006 - a key period for Turkey's European ambitions.

In an interview with FT Europe, Austrian finance minister Karl-Heinz Grasser spells out Vienna’s opposition to Turkey.

“Countries such as Croatia and other Balkan states have more of a right to be included soon in the EU than Turkey,” he said.

“I will strive to communicate clearly to Turkey that we have every interest in economic and social stabilisation, but we cannot envisage full membership.”

Grasser told the newspaper that after French and Dutch referendum rejections EU governments needed to learn lessons.

“It would be wrong to negotiate full Turkish membership of the EU,” he said.

“If you were to ask the people ‘are you for Turkish membership’? I'm convinced that you would get no as an answer.”

Postponing enlargement debate until after the summer, the British EU presidency will seek to focus Europe’s foreign ministers on Syria and Zimbabwe.

Damascus will be asked to end Syria’s interference in Lebanon, to stop insurgents leaking into Iraq and halt backing for anti-Israeli groups.

Harare will again be criticised for Zimbabwe’s human rights record and suppression of opposition.

Ministers will urge the African Union to stop Zimbabwe’s shantytown clearances and tougher EU sanctions on Harare will be considered.

But the EU is to take no significant new action against Uzbekistan after the killing of almost 200 protesters in May.

Europe’s foreign ministers will restrict action to “studying possible measures” against Tashkent.

• Previous article
• Next article