Austria will be given a blunt warning on Sunday that it will be blamed for rupturing 40 years of relations between the European Union and Turkey if it scuppers membership talks. In a sign of widespread irritation with Vienna, which wants to downgrade Turkey’s links with the EU, Britain’s Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw, has summoned his Austrian counterpart for a one-to-one meeting on Sunday night.
As EU foreign ministers arrive in Luxembourg for emergency talks, Straw will warn Ursula Plassnik that Vienna’s demands would prompt the Turks to throw in the towel. Austria was isolated 24-1 at a meeting of EU ambassadors in Brussels on Thursday after it demanded a clear indication that the talks would be open-ended; an undertaking that membership would depend on the EU’s ability to absorb such a large country; and a warning from the outset of talks that Turkey may be offered an ”alternative” to full membership.
Vienna wants to delete a reference from a deal agreed last December by EU leaders that Europe’s ”shared objective” is to offer full membership. Its stance forced EU foreign ministers to schedule emergency talks on Sunday night to try to agree on a framework for the membership talks.
One diplomat said: ”Every Austrian suggestion centres on the points that ensured Turkey didn’t walk away last December. Change that wording and they’ll probably walk.”
Britain, which is chairing the talks, made it clear that it was determined to ensure membership talks started as scheduled on Monday.
Prime Minister Tony Blair, who wants the process to be well under way by the time Austria assumes the presidency of the EU in January, told the Turkish newspaper Hurriyet: ”I sincerely believe that EU membership is Turkey’s future.”
But the Austrians are digging in their heels. Plassnik told The Associated Press that Vienna has a ”reasonable and moderate position” because it is merely echoing the fears of European voters about Turkish membership.
”We should listen to the concerns voiced by so many people across Europe,” she said.
Britain hopes that Austria will climb down when it considers the consequences of being isolated on one of the biggest strategic decisions in the EU’s history.
Vienna’s task may also be made easier if ministers are able to give positive signals to Croatia about its EU membership talks. These were suspended in March after Carla del Ponte, the chief prosecutor of the International War-Crimes Tribunal, ruled that Zagreb was failing to help track down an indicted war criminal, General Ante Gotovina. The EU made the question of cooperation with the tribunal in The Hague a condition for starting entry talks.
Del Ponte said on Friday night she was disappointed that Croatia’s top war-crimes suspect remained at large.
”We have always [the] same problem, Gotovina is still at large,” she said.
The EU foreign ministers are due to discuss Turkey over dinner on Sunday night. The timing of the talks in Luxembourg may make a Croatia-for-Turkey deal difficult, as Del Ponte is only due to deliver her assessment of Croatia’s performance to a special task force of EU ministers on Monday.
But Austria is a member of the task force, so it should have a strong idea of her thoughts by the time the Turkey talks take place on Sunday.
Del Ponte’s remarks may not dash Croatia’s hopes, because Zagreb does not have to hand over Gotovina, but merely has to offer her full cooperation. — Guardian Unlimited Â