A group of distinguished European politicians is likely to criticize European Union countries for hindering Turkey's attempts to become a member of the 27-nation bloc, according to former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari, who heads the group. Ahtisaari, who leads the Independent Commission on Turkey, said his group will have to take a critical look at certain EU member states when it releases its next report later this year.

"In the second report, which we are going to release in September, we look into not only what Turkey does, but also at what the EU and some of the individual members are doing.

If some member states are blocking some of the major sectors, then we have to take a critical look at that. So I wouldn't be surprised if we would be saying some critical things about Turkey and some EU member states, as well," he said in an interview.

The Independent Commission on Turkey was formed in 2004 by a group of European policy makers to examine the challenges and opportunities presented by Turkey's possible membership in the EU. The commission is made up of Europeans who have previously held high positions in public office. This week European Commission Vice President Gunter Verheugen also criticized the EU for failing to give a clear signal to Ankara on its entry prospects, saying a reduced will for reform in Ankara was not surprising because the EU's stance led to questions in Turkey about the bloc's sincerity.

When asked whether the fact that Turkey is a Muslim-majority nation is a hindrance for its entry into the elite club of European nations, he was quick to reply: "I would hate to live in a Europe that would not accept Turkey because it happens to be a secular Muslim state. More important to me, and my country as well, is that Turkey fulfils the criteria like all the other countries that want to join EU. If they do, I see no reason why Turkey should not be a part of the EU."

Ahtisaari, a career diplomat and Nobel Peace Prize laureate who became the first directly elected president of Finland, has special interest in Turkey's membership bid. It was during his term as president of the EU that Turkey was declared a candidate in 1999. Ahtisaari says he continues to believe that Turkey can one day become a part of the union.

Asked whether Turkey has moved anywhere closer to EU membership in the last 10 years, he says it has, although he adds that Turkey should have done more reforms. He is not very optimistic about Ankara being productive in reforms in the near future because of the upcoming local elections. "We produced our first report in September 2004. We had argued then that Turkey had filled all the criteria so that the EU could start the process of negotiations. I would have personally hoped that there would have been more reforms carried out. The government has appointed a new chief negotiator and I thought that this was a very positive move. But as Turkey is getting toward its elections, it is not a time when reforms are usually carried out," he said.

Ahtisaari also points out that acceptance of Turkey in mainstream Europe has strategic importance. "It is not only the political and strategic issues that we have been discussing, but also the whole energy issue -- the Nabucco pipeline. We need alternative routes. Alternative routes are important in overall energy strategy. It will send a very sad message if we say that Europe is some sort of Christian bastion and does not allow Muslim countries to join. I would rather not like to live in such a Europe. It was during my presidency that the EU accepted Turkey's candidacy. That is why my friends asked me to chair the commission to help Turkey's candidacy and I accepted. I felt it was my responsibility."

Turkish role in Middle East

The role of Turkey in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is an important one, the Nobel laureate says. "When we see what happened in Gaza, Turkey's role in the broader region is an important one. It was good that somebody was talking to Hamas when others were not for one reason or another. It is very difficult, otherwise, to get their cooperation. This finally led to a cease-fire."

Elaborating further on the country's role in the Middle East, he said: "Turkey has tried to look into it [the Israeli-Palestinian conflict] in a rather balanced manner. People said that Turkey would isolate itself by talking to Hamas. But I definitely welcome the Turkish role. Turkey's role is also important in relation to Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan."
Ahtisaari also claims that the international community is not doing enough to resolve the Middle East crisis. "I do not think there has been enough political will. Partly it is also due to the fact that the Palestinians are divided. They have to form a united front. It is very easy to exploit that division. And, therefore, instead of bypassing Hamas, the important thing is to get them somehow involved. Because if any movement, however difficult some people might find their policies, enjoys the support of the population through free and fair elections, it is very dangerous to avoid these people."

Peace and work

Even at the age of 72, Ahtisaari has no plans for retirement. In his acceptance speech for the Nobel Peace Prize last year, he spoke about the connection between poverty and crime. One of his projects involves training young people in the Middle East and North Africa to become entrepreneurs.

He explains: "The idea is to improve the employment possibilities for young people. In the next decade, we will have at least 1.2 billion men and women under 30 looking for work. With traditional means, maybe we can employee 300 million. What do we do with nearly 1 billion? Do we have employment opportunities in the future? Then give them proper education. Make as many of them entrepreneurs as possible. No problem with micro credit. This is important and I am working with people who can do this. If young people do not get hope, criminals and terrorists are the best recruiters. So we have to fight the poverty, and that's my basic message."

[*] Kunal Majumder is a New Delhi-based journalist who specializes in international politics, culture and business.

04.03.2009
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KUNAL MAJUMDER