US embassy cable - 04ANKARA6627

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 006627 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/SE 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/30/2014 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, EU, TU 
SUBJECT: DCM URGES CONTINUED EU PROGRESS 
 
REF: ANKARA 6489 
 
Classified By: Classified by Ambassador Eric S. Edelman; reasons 1.4 b 
and d. 
 
1. (C) Summary: The DCM November 26 urged MFA officials to 
look for ways to bolster Turkey's EU candidacy in the run-up 
to the December Summit.  With opposition to Turkish 
membership building in Europe, the GOT should strengthen its 
position by pursuing reforms.  Signing a protocol extending 
its EU Association agreement to the 10 new EU members, 
including the Republic of Cyprus, could mark an additional 
step.  USG leaders will be contacting EU counterparts on 
Turkey's behalf.  MFA officials said FM Gul is adamantly 
opposed to signing the protocol before the Summit.  Moreover, 
the GOT has a number of EU-related concerns, which Gul 
explained to EU Troika representatives on November 23.  The 
GOT insists that the EU set a date in 2005 to begin formal 
accession talks.  While the outcome of the talks cannot be 
determined in advance, Turkey must be offered full membership 
if it meets all criteria.  The EU can discuss restrictions on 
the migration of Turkish workers during accession talks, but 
should not include the matter in the written Summit 
conclusions.  End Summary. 
 
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Gul "Adamantly Opposed" to Signing Protocol 
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2. (U) In a meeting with MFA Director General for EU Affairs 
Naci Akinci and his deputy, Selim Yenel, the DCM encouraged 
the GOT to seek steps they could take to renew the momentum 
of Turkeys' EU candidacy.  He noted that EU representatives, 
including those from countries strongly supporting Turkey's 
candidacy, insist that Turkey sign an additional protocol to 
the 1963 Ankara Agreement that would include the 10 new 
members, including the Republic of Cyprus, in the Turkey-EU 
Customs Union.  EUR DAS Kennedy raised this issue with GOT 
officials November 12 (reftel).  Since then, the Embassy has 
learned more details.  The EU apparently submitted to the GOT 
a draft protocol including all 10 new EU member states, 
including Cyprus.  Other associated states have already 
signed such agreements, and more are being asked to sign. 
The EU considers this routine business, not a special 
concession by Turkey on Cyprus. 
 
3. (C) Yenel said the protocol issue was discussed during the 
November 23 EU Troika meeting.  The GOT does not believe 
there is any need to sign the protocol before the December 
Summit.  During the accession process, Turkey, like all 
candidates, will have to adopt the EU acquis, including all 
requirements relating to the Customs Union.  EU Troika 
representatives said Turkey needs to sign the protocol in 
order to convince the Greek Cypriots not to undermine 
Turkey's candidacy at the Summit.  FM Gul gave a blunt reply: 
The EU always asks Turkey to make concessions on Cyprus, but 
never asks anything of the Greek Cypriots.  A GOT decision to 
sign the protocol will not ease Greek Cypriot hostility, and 
therefore Turkey has nothing to gain.  Yenel said Gul is 
adamantly opposed to signing before the Summit.  Akinci noted 
that in recent, written exchanges the EU has confirmed an 
additional protocol was necessary and Turkey has confirmed it 
is willing to negotiate.  He said, however, that it would not 
be signed before the December 17 Summit.  Such a signature 
would require a Turkish re-statement of its position of 
non-recognition of the Republic of Cyprus, which would 
undermine any gains that could be made with EU members. 
 
4. (C) The DCM said the U.S. is urging EU leaders to focus on 
the larger, strategic issues at stake in Turkey's EU 
candidacy, and not be overly distracted by technical matters 
like the protocol.  However, the GOT has to realize that 
Turkey's EU momentum has slowed.  Europeans are growing 
increasingly concerned about Muslim immigration, and this is 
strengthening Turkey's opponents.  The GOT should be looking 
for ways to demonstrate, before the Summit, its political 
will to join the EU; signing the protocol -- which Turkey 
will have to do before accession in any case -- would help 
achieve that.  It is true that signing would have no impact 
on Greek Cypriot attitudes, but it could influence the other 
EU members. 
 
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GOT Raises Concerns at Troika 
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5. (C) Yenel said Gul explained the full range of GOT 
concerns to EU interlocutors at the Troika.  The European 
Commission has recommended the EU apply a "screening process" 
before opening talks on each chapter of the acquis.  This is 
not a problem for Turkey as long as screening starts in the 
beginning of 2005 and the formal accession talks start later 
in the year.  But the GOT would object to a plan that would 
postpone formal talks until 2006.  EU officials did not 
reveal their position on the matter, saying only that a 
decision would be made the following week.  The GOT is also 
concerned about possible references to the accession talks as 
"open ended."  Of course, the final outcome of talks cannot 
be known in advance, but the goal must be accession and full 
membership.  Any suggestion that Turkey would be offered 
less, even if it met all criteria, is unacceptable.  The EU 
has no legitimate grounds to treat Turkey differently from 
other candidate countries.  Yenel said the Dutch are 
apparently lobbying in support of an interpretation of "open 
ended" that would be acceptable to Turkey.  But a strong 
minority of states continues to favor a different approach. 
Yenel said Gul noted that the Commission recommended the EU 
consider adopting "permanent safeguards" allowing EU states 
to restrict the migration of Turkish workers.  The GOT 
believes such measures can be discussed during accession 
talks, but should not be included in the written EU Summit 
conclusions.  Yenel noted that the Dutch were not 
particularly helpful with the Turks' concerns and that the 
GOT viewed the Troika discussions as a mixed bag at best.  He 
added that the Turks had learned that the Dutch intended to 
circulate draft conclusions on Turkey to the member states 
the week of November 29, but they would not be sharing them 
with Turkey. 
 
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USG Will Continue Support 
------------------------- 
 
6. (C) The DCM urged the GOT to quickly adopt three pending 
laws cited by the European Commission as important for EU 
accession -- the Criminal Procedure Code, the Judicial Police 
Law, and the Execution of Punishments Law.  He said USG 
officials, including at the most senior levels, will contact 
select EU leaders on Turkey's behalf.  Any new examples of 
the GOT's continuing legal reforms, or their implementation, 
would help the U.S. make Turkey's case.  Naci Akinci, MFA 
Director General for EU Affairs, said Turkey appreciates U.S. 
support.  However, such support in some areas could be 
counterproductive.  The U.S. can probably be most effective 
by using subtle methods of persuasion with select EU states 
in the run-up to the December Summit. 
 
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Comment 
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7. (C) The GOT still seems to have a distorted view of how it 
is going to fare on December 17.  It is taking a fairly 
typical maximalist position, but is unable or unwilling to 
take additional measures to improve the odds of a positive 
outcome.  In public, officials seem to be emphasizing the 
negative reactions from the EU and boxing themselves in 
against taking any new measures.  We exclude neither the 
possibility that the GOT will take the expected EU's 
qualified "yes" as a "no," nor the possibility that some 
within the government or State apparatus will be happy with 
that outcome. 
EDELMAN