EU urges Ankara to rethink stance on Hamas
4 November, 2006
Abhaber.com - EU Turkey News Network
Describing Hamas as a "terrorist group" in its upcoming progress report on Turkey, the European Union indirectly criticizes Ankara, urging it to conform with the common position of the Union.
According to the draft progress report obtained by The New Anatolian before the text is released by the EU next Wednesday, although the Union states that "Turkey has broadly continued to align its foreign and security policy with that of the EU…and has continued to support the Middle East peace process," it continues by saying, "Turkey declared in February 2006 to share the objectives EU Common Position on the application of specific measures to combat terrorism and ensure that its national policies would conform to that Common Position. Hamas is on the list included in this Common Position."
On other issues about foreign, security and defense policy, while the Union praises Turkey's participation in the EU-led police missions including Bosnia-Herzegovina (EUPM), former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (Proxima) and in Congo (EUROPOL KINSHASA) and UN and NATO peace missions for the development of European Security and Defense Policy (ESDP), it criticized Turkey's resistance to including Greek Cyprus and Malta in the EU-NATO strategic cooperation based on the "Berlin Plus" agreement. The reports also notes that Turkey continues, for political reasons, to block Greek Cyprus' membership in certain suppliers' groups, such as the Wassenaar Arrangement on Export Controls for Conventional Arms and Dual-Use Goods and Technologies.
Touching on Turkey's relations with the Middle East, while the report says that Turkey's relations with Syria continued to develop positively, it also praises Ankara's efforts and concrete initiatives to promote stability in Iraq by facilitating dialogue between U.S. authorities and Sunni Arabs. "Turkey argues that there is a direct link between the recent escalation of violence in the southeast of Turkey and increased clashes between Turkish Armed Forces and the PKK and 'infiltration of PKK members' from the Iraqi border," it was said in the report, saying that a significant number of troops were deployed along the Iraqi border in order to prevent infiltration by PKK terrorists from northern Iraq.
The report also praised Turkish efforts to encourage Iran to comply with the demands of the international community and the country's support to EU efforts to obtain long-term guarantees for the implementation of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and its Nuclear Safeguards Agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) by Iran.
The continued strong support of Turkey for the "Bonn process" concerning the reconstruction of Afghanistan was also praised in the report.
Brussels urges Turkey to open its border with Armenia
The Union in the progress report also urges Turkey to open its border with Armenia, stressing that this would be an important step forward in the establishment of good neighborly relations between the two countries and would boost trade relations.
While urging Turkey to open its border with Armenia, the EU cites the lack of significant developments in relations between Turkey and Armenia since the official exchange of letters between Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Armenian President Robert Kocharian in April 2005.
However the EU notes a closer alignment of Turkey's official position with EU positions in relation with the Southern Caucasus and Central Asia. "Turkey has reiterated its support for the European Neighborhood Policy. Turkey participates in the regional initiative GUAM (Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Moldova) with observer status. Turkey followed closely the elections in Azerbaijan. It aligned itself with the EU Presidency statement on the elections in Azerbaijan on 10 November 2005," said the report.
ABHaber 04.11.2006 thenewanatolian.com
Note: Above are excerpts from the article. The full article appears here. Clarifications and comments by me are contained in {}. Deletions are marked by [...]. The bold emphasis is mine.
Abhaber.com - EU Turkey News Network
Describing Hamas as a "terrorist group" in its upcoming progress report on Turkey, the European Union indirectly criticizes Ankara, urging it to conform with the common position of the Union.
According to the draft progress report obtained by The New Anatolian before the text is released by the EU next Wednesday, although the Union states that "Turkey has broadly continued to align its foreign and security policy with that of the EU…and has continued to support the Middle East peace process," it continues by saying, "Turkey declared in February 2006 to share the objectives EU Common Position on the application of specific measures to combat terrorism and ensure that its national policies would conform to that Common Position. Hamas is on the list included in this Common Position."
On other issues about foreign, security and defense policy, while the Union praises Turkey's participation in the EU-led police missions including Bosnia-Herzegovina (EUPM), former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (Proxima) and in Congo (EUROPOL KINSHASA) and UN and NATO peace missions for the development of European Security and Defense Policy (ESDP), it criticized Turkey's resistance to including Greek Cyprus and Malta in the EU-NATO strategic cooperation based on the "Berlin Plus" agreement. The reports also notes that Turkey continues, for political reasons, to block Greek Cyprus' membership in certain suppliers' groups, such as the Wassenaar Arrangement on Export Controls for Conventional Arms and Dual-Use Goods and Technologies.
Touching on Turkey's relations with the Middle East, while the report says that Turkey's relations with Syria continued to develop positively, it also praises Ankara's efforts and concrete initiatives to promote stability in Iraq by facilitating dialogue between U.S. authorities and Sunni Arabs. "Turkey argues that there is a direct link between the recent escalation of violence in the southeast of Turkey and increased clashes between Turkish Armed Forces and the PKK and 'infiltration of PKK members' from the Iraqi border," it was said in the report, saying that a significant number of troops were deployed along the Iraqi border in order to prevent infiltration by PKK terrorists from northern Iraq.
The report also praised Turkish efforts to encourage Iran to comply with the demands of the international community and the country's support to EU efforts to obtain long-term guarantees for the implementation of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and its Nuclear Safeguards Agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) by Iran.
The continued strong support of Turkey for the "Bonn process" concerning the reconstruction of Afghanistan was also praised in the report.
Brussels urges Turkey to open its border with Armenia
The Union in the progress report also urges Turkey to open its border with Armenia, stressing that this would be an important step forward in the establishment of good neighborly relations between the two countries and would boost trade relations.
While urging Turkey to open its border with Armenia, the EU cites the lack of significant developments in relations between Turkey and Armenia since the official exchange of letters between Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Armenian President Robert Kocharian in April 2005.
However the EU notes a closer alignment of Turkey's official position with EU positions in relation with the Southern Caucasus and Central Asia. "Turkey has reiterated its support for the European Neighborhood Policy. Turkey participates in the regional initiative GUAM (Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Moldova) with observer status. Turkey followed closely the elections in Azerbaijan. It aligned itself with the EU Presidency statement on the elections in Azerbaijan on 10 November 2005," said the report.
ABHaber 04.11.2006 thenewanatolian.com
Note: Above are excerpts from the article. The full article appears here. Clarifications and comments by me are contained in {}. Deletions are marked by [...]. The bold emphasis is mine.
posted by Vahe Balabanian at 8:43 AM
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