Germany's New Chancellor Discusses EU Admission for Turkey
Commentary by Paul Kieffer
United Church of God pastor, Germany
Chancellor Angela
Merkel's first major summit meeting, on the last weekend in November,
gave her the opportunity to meet with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan.
This EU-Mediterranean summit was hosted in Barcelona by the European
Union for the ten Middle Eastern and North African countries bordering
the Mediterranean Sea. It continued dialogue begun ten years ago between
the EU and its Mediterranean neighbors.
The meeting provided first indications of Merkel's approach to
the question of Turkish EU membership. Merkel is well known for her position
on a "privileged
partnership" for Turkey—instead of full EU membership.
In an interview before meeting with Erdogan, Merkel described herself
as an "honest broker" for relations with Turkey. She emphasized,
however, that she has her convictions on the issue.
In her Madrid meeting with Erdogan, Merkel reassured him that Germany
would honor the commitment made by her predecessor, Gerhard Schröder,
on the start of negotiations for Turkish membership in the European Union.
There had been concerns that Merkel would retract Germany's affirmative
vote given on the issue in early October.
After the brief talk with Erodgan, Merkel shared her impression with
reporters that "things were developing well." In the past,
Turkish media have been very critical of Merkel for offering only a "privileged
partnership" with the EU instead of full membership.
Merkel's confirmation that Germany would honor its vote on the start
of negotiations with Turkey was important after the agreement was nearly
blocked by Austrian chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel in early October.
Schüssel, who in the past has also voiced his support for a "privileged
partnership" for Turkey, argued that negotiations should include
mention of some alternative in case Turkey does not meet the requirements
for EU membership. According to Schüssel, without any alternative
Turkey would be left "in a black hole" if negotiations were
to fail.
In her first policy statement before the Bundestag as chancellor, Merkel
clarified on November 30, 2005 her government's position on Turkish EU
membership.
"Europe is not possible without the support and trust of its
citizens. We have to be careful not to give people the impression that
they are being overburdened. For that reason we must give special care
that countries joining the European Union fulfill all conditions without
exception. That has to be the prerequisite if we want to expand the European
Union. That is what we have decided in our coalition agreement: The negotiations
begun on October 3, 2005 between the European Union and Turkey with the
goal of membership are an open-ended process that does not justify involuntary
reactions and whose outcome cannot be guaranteed in advance. If the EU
is unable to expand or if Turkey is not able to fulfill all requirements
for membership, then Turkey should be tied as closely as possible to
Europe's structure in further developing her privileged relationship
with the European Union."
While the outcome of negotiations on Turkish EU membership is yet undetermined,
the EU-Mediterranean summit showed how poorly the EU is doing with its
Mediterranean neighbors in the area once controlled in part by the Turkish
Ottoman empire. Other than Erdogan and Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas,
none of the other Islamic leaders from the Mediterranean region attended
the summit.
The meeting also nearly ended in an impasse over terrorism, and a joint
communiqué could only be issued after all reference to the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict was deleted from the text. The communiqué's vague
wording on terrorism—"Terrorism can never be justified"—left
much to be desired, since terrorism itself was not defined.
Arab League secretary Amr Mussa commented that a difference had to
be made between the killing of innocent civilians and resistance to an
occupying power, a reference that included both Israel in the occupied
territories and the United States in Iraq.
Turkey , whether as a full member of the EU or in a special privileged
relationship with Europe as a non-Arab Muslim country, could prove to
be a valuable source of influence by the EU on the Muslim-dominated areas
of the Middle East and northern Africa. But Turkish membership also poses
dangers.
Bible prophecy reveals that when Jesus Christ returns to become King
of Kings over all the earth the city of Jerusalem will be occupied by
a combination of nations hostile to anyone who is supportive of its Jewish
residents (Zechariah 14:1-3). Jesus will fight against and destroy the
armies of those nations. Since Europe already tends to take a pro-Arab
stance in regard to most Arab-Israeli tensions, could it be drawn into
that future conflict over Jerusalem—to fight against Jesus Christ?
 To
understand the reality of that danger, request or download now your copy
of our free booklet, The Middle East in Bible Prophecy.
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