US embassy cable - 05ANKARA3669

C O N F I D E N T I A L  ANKARA 003669 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/SE 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/28/2015 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, PHUM, OSCE, TU, USEUBRUSSELS 
SUBJECT: GOT PAPER OUTLINES CONCERNS ON EU "FRAMEWORK" 
 
REF: A. ANKARA 3565 
 
     B. ANKARA 1074 
 
Classified by Polcouns John Kunstadter; reasons 1.4 b and d. 
 
1. (C) Summary: The GOT has distributed to EU-member-state 
governments a paper outlining its concerns about the EU's 
upcoming Framework for Negotiations with Turkey.  In the 
paper, the GOT urges the EU to adopt the Framework before the 
October 3 start date of Turkey's EU talks, and to avoid 
adding new issues not covered in the December 2004 EU Summit 
Conclusions.  The GOT also calls on the EU not to repeat 
certain elements of the Summit Conclusions, but our contacts 
say the Turks are willing to bend on this point.  End 
Summary. 
 
2. (C) An EU contact passed us a copy June 28 of an "aide 
memoire" the GOT has distributed on the Framework for 
Negotiations.  In the paper (full text below), the GOT raises 
concerns covered in reftel A: that Turkey wants the EU to 
adopt the Framework before the October 3 start date for 
accession talks, and does not want the Framework to include 
new issues not covered in the December 2004 EU Summit 
Conclusions. 
 
3. (C) Moreover, the paper states that the Framework should 
not include "discriminatory" elements such as references to 
the possibility that "derogations" or "permanent safeguards" 
might to applied to Turkey, even though such language is 
included in the Summit Conclusions.  However, our Turkish 
diplomatic contacts tell us in private that the GOT will 
accept language that matches the Summit Conclusions. 
 
4. (U) The European Commission is scheduled to adopt its 
Framework draft June 29.  The EU Council will then have to 
approve the document.  It is widely assumed that the Council 
will not be able to reach agreement on the Framework at the 
July 18 General Affairs and External Relations Council 
(GAERC), and the next GAERC will not take place until October 
3, the very day Turkey is scheduled to begin talks.  The aide 
memoire suggests options the EU could take to adopt the 
Framework before October, and avoid the last-minute haggling 
over wording that nearly derailed the December 2004 Summit. 
 
5. (SBU) The full text of the GOT aide memoire follows: 
 
-- The Commission will adopt the Framework for Negotiations 
for Turkey and present it to the Council for adoption towards 
the end of June 2005. 
 
-- Subsequently, the Council will begin a discussion first at 
Working Group and then at COREPER level. 
 
-- The content of this document is of crucial importance 
since it will be our road map in the years to come.  It 
should not be discriminatory and not include elements such as 
derogations or permanent safeguards.  It should also not 
include new issues. 
 
-- This document should be adopted well in advance of the 
Intergovernmental Conference that will start the accession 
negotiations with Turkey on October 3, 2005 in Luxembourg. 
 
-- There are two ways in which the Council may adopt this 
document: 
 
A) By the General Affairs and External Relations Council 
(GAERC) at its sessions on July 18 and October 3, 2005, or 
 
B) If it is approved by COREPER as an "A Point" by the 
Agriculture and Fisheries Council on 19-20 September, 2005. 
 
-- If the approval of this document is prolonged until the 
very day of the start of accession negotiations, then there 
is a danger of going through what took place on December 17, 
2004. 
 
-- In order to avoid this, the Framework for Negotiations 
should be adopted within a reasonable time, but before 
October 3, 2005. 
 
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Comment 
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6. (C) We believe the GOT in the end will accept language 
that matches the December Summit Conclusions, despite its 
objections to "derogations" and "permanent safeguards."  Our 
contacts at the MFA and the Secretariat General for EU 
Affairs have assured us of this, and the Danish DCM told us 
MFA has privately given the same message to the EU. 
 
7. (C) But we expect a tough, line-by-line battle over the 
Framework wording.  The GOT's reference to "what took place" 
at the December Summit should serve warning.  The GOT haggled 
aggressively with the EU over the Summit Conclusions, 
something candidate states are technically not permitted to 
do, and our EU contacts say no previous candidate has even 
attempted (reftel B).  The result was a narrow sucess that 
generated no small amount of ill will toward the GOT in EU 
circles. 
 
 
MCELDOWNEY