US embassy cable - 04ISTANBUL1624

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ISTANBUL 001624 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, PHUM, TU, Istanbul 
SUBJECT: TURKEY AND THE EU: HOPES AND ASPIRATIONS, BUT 
LINGERING SENSITIVITIES 
 
 
Sensitive but Unclassified - not for internet distribution. 
 
1. (SBU)  Summary: Sessions at last week's Istanbul 
conference of Europe's Green Party highlighted Turkey's hopes 
and aspirations to gain a date for the beginning of accession 
negotiations, but also lingering sensitivities about 
perceived EU discrimination against Turkey and local 
discomfort about the changes EU negotiations and membership 
will bring in its wake.  The centerpiece of the conference 
was a joint appearance by German Foreign Minister Fischer, 
Turkish Foreign Minister Gul and incoming Enlargement 
Commissioner Rehn, where the two sides laid out their 
positions, with Gul pressing for easing of the negotiating 
conditions and Fischer arguing that they represented a 
sensible middle ground that enables both sides to keep their 
"eye on the goal."  More heated and revealing was a debate on 
Islam (which included an Alevi representative) and a 
philosophical discussion on Turkey's EU prospects that 
featured noted novelists Yasar Kemal and Orhan Pamuk, and 
singer (and opposition deputy) Zulfi Livaneli.  Environmental 
and human rights panels also attracted extensive interest. 
End Summary. 
 
2. (SBU) The October 19-21 Istanbul meeting of the European 
Parliament's Green/EFA Group was designed to facilitate an 
"open and constructive" discussion about EU and Turkish 
mutual expectations.  With participation from a broad 
cross-section of representatives from the Turkish political 
world and civil society, the conference exposed a number of 
the fault lines both between the two sides and within Turkey 
itself.  Designed as a pluralist forum, with representation 
by all viewpoints, it quickly encountered criticism from some 
for failing to include an adequate "Kemalist" representation. 
 Opposition gadfly Bedri Kadri charged that the inclusion of 
only like-minded "second republicans" and "liberal-Islamists" 
shortchanged the Kemalists, which he optimistically 
(over)estimated as 60-70 percent of Turkish "intellectuals." 
 
3. (SBU) Equal Treatment: On whether Turkey is being treated 
differently, Green representatives were unapologetic.  Group 
President Daniel Cohn-Bendit argued that Turkey should 
actively seek "special" rather than "equal" treatment, since 
its integration is not comparable to that of such countries 
as Malta and Bulgaria.  "It will be difficult (for both)," he 
argued, "but one of the most important steps we must both 
take."  While FM Gul echoed the government's standard 
insistence on equality of treatment, Prime Minister Erdogan's 
close advisor Cuneyt Zapsu picked up on Bendit's suggestion. 
"We are not being treated like others, because we are 
different," he argued, and "I am proud" of that fact.  Given 
Turkey's size and importance, he continued, "It is naive to 
expect equal treatment." 
 
4. (SBU) A Balancing Act: Both Commissioner Rehn and FM 
Fischer emphasized that the Commission recommendation sets an 
"end goal of full membership," adding that the special 
conditions imposed were not in any sense "harsh and 
punitive," but rather intended to "recognize the 
difficulties" in Turkey's accession.  It is not against 
Turkey or a sign of skepticism, Fischer insisted, but a "work 
of art" designed to open the road and give Europe time to 
modernize its structures and prepare itself for Turkish 
accession.  In the future, Fischer optimistically predicted, 
"People will change and laugh that they once wanted to say no 
to Turkey."  For his part, however, FM Gul did not back down 
from Turkey's desire to see changes from the Commission's 
report, arguing that mutual trust must be deepened and 
consolidated and that Turkey's membership should not be a 
"subject of internal politics (in European countries)." 
 
5. (SBU) Historical Taboos: While the ministers reiterated 
basic positions, others directly broached local taboos and 
held up a mirror to challenge the EU to look more closely at 
itself.  Noted writer Orhan Pamuk, in particular, hit a chord 
with some in the audience (and antagonized others) by 
stressing that the new and freer Turkey must now face up to 
questions about its past, particularly the "disappearance" of 
Armenians and Greeks in the early part of the last century, 
arguing that a culture where such issues can be discussed 
will be one that Europe will find easier to accept. 
Singer/writer/director (and Republican People's Party-- the 
party of Ataturk-- deputy) Zulfu Livaneli challenged the 
notion of Ataturk's supremacy by noting the contributions of 
a long line of reformers who preceded him.  EU 
Parliamentarian Cem Ozdemir even suggested that Ataturk must 
be saved from some of his admirers who sought to use him as 
an "excuse to stop freedom."  "Where," he asked rhetorically, 
"is the modernization of Turkish education?" 
 
6. (SBU) Religion and Identity: In a panel on Islam, after 
criticizing the Turkish state for dicriminating against, and 
even refusing to recognize, Alevis as a separate religious 
group (note: Alevis are heterodox Muslims who account for as 
much as 20 percent of the Turkish population), Alevi 
representative Esat Korkmaz surprised some by remarking that 
outright abolition of the Religious Affairs Directorate 
(Diyanet) would be dangerous.  Turkish journalist Rusen Cakir 
reminded the Europeans that Turkey is not monolithically 
religious and conservative, noting, for example, that it was 
not only the EU that opposed Turkey's recent effort to 
criminalize adultery, but also many in Turkey vocally opposed 
the effort as well.  On the question of borders, after one 
Euro MP voiced concerns that expansion to include Turkey 
might prove to be a "Trojan Horse designed to weaken Europe," 
Galatasaray University professor Ahmet Insel retorted that 
much of the ongoing debate is "not about Turkey and the EU's 
borders at all, but European identity and the EU's future." 
Turkish identity was also a recurring theme.  Zulfu Livaneli 
remarked, "I felt European until I went to Europe for the 
first time," and stressed that Turks are the most Eastern of 
the Western societies and want to play that role. 
 
7. (SBU) Comment: The Istanbul Green Party Conference 
provided a useful opportunity for European politicians to 
come together with their Turkish counterparts and with 
elements of Turkey's civil society.  It showcased not just 
the hopes and fears that accompany the accession project, but 
also the impact that process has had on Turkey, leaving 
panelists free to advance arguments that a short decade ago 
would have led to their arrest and imprisonment.  Given the 
delicacy with which local taboos were broached and the 
vociferous response generated, however, it is clear that 
Turkey remains in the early stages of grappling with issues 
of history and identity.  As for the Europeans, Nuray Mert, 
columnist for the daily Radikal, questioned whether coming to 
Turkey and debating, while also "acting as if Ramazan was not 
going on," really creates a bridge to the Muslim world.  In 
addition, instead of simply viewing Turkey as the sweetener 
in a cup of coffee, changing the taste but not the 
appearance, she argued, Europeans need to be willing to 
accept it as the creamer instead, affecting both at the same 
time.  Only such an approach, she suggested, will permit a 
true partnership between the two sides.  End Comment. 
ARNETT