Turkey: clearing the air and the throat

16.05.2007 / 00:00 CET

Another weekend, another million people on the street in Turkey to demand that their state remains secular and that the influence of Islamist parties is reduced. The voice of the EU is very weak – and badly heard in Turkey. The country is on the verge of a massive political confrontation, as the presidential election has further widened the rift between the two parts of society which have been in conflict since Mustafa Kemal Atatürk's rule: the laic elite and the religious majority. The EU should help Turkey steer out of this crisis without violence. Secular or religious, all Turks believe it would be good for their country to join the EU, although fewer and fewer believe there is a chance for this to happen.
The EU must clear its throat and finally issue an unequivocal statement that provided that Turkey meets all criteria scrupulously it will join the EU, that there will be no subjectivity involved when Turkey's progress is judged and religion or race play no role in its enlargement policy.
Such a message could help the Turkish overcome the current political crisis in a pacifist way.

Arthur Demille
Brussels

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