TonH
20-09-05, 19:38
Turks delight in German poll results
ANKARA (AFP) - Turkish leaders at home arid abroad yesterday hailed German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder’s success at denying opposition conservative Angela Merkel a clear election victory, calling it a boost for Turkey’s bid to join the European Union.
“I want to say that Schroeder led a campaign which, in my opinion, succeeded,” Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told journalists at Ankara’s airport.
Schroeder and his Social Democrats (SPD) have firmly supported launching EU accession talks with Turkey as planned next month, while Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) is against giving Ankara full membership in the bloc.
In Germany, where some 600,000 citizens of Turkish origin cast ballots in Sunday’s poll, local Turkish leaders said the message of the narrow election result was clear.
“Germany will not have a government that prevents or delays Turkey’s accession,” said Kenan Kolat, chairman of the Turkish Community in Germany (TGD).
Merkel’s Christian Democrats scored the highest result in the general election but the wafer-thin margin between her party and Schroeder’s SPD prompted him to refuse to concede defeat. The two are now locked in a power struggle to determine who will form the next coalition government and serve as chancellor.
On Turkey’s EU bid, the CDU has pushed for a “privileged partnership” between Ankara and Brussels, a proposal the Turks have rejected.
“I call on Mrs Merkel to abandon this idea and to promote clear accession prospects for Turkey. This is also in Germany’s interest,” the TGD’s Kolat said.
That sentiment was echoed in the headlines back home. “Opposition to Turkey did not benefit Merkel,” said the Milliyet newspaper.
Erdogan also weighed in with some criticism of German opposition to Turkey’s EU ambition, without mentioning Merkel by name.
“The (electoral) campaign showed to what extent negative propaganda against the Turks and, especially on the subject of the privileged partnership or the accession between Turkey and the EU, brought about the negative results,” Erdogan said.
Merkel’s failure to achieve an outright victory in the elections has “eliminated the possibility of any fine-tuning in the country’s foreign policy that would be against Turkey’s EU drive,” the daily Hurriyet said.
Sabah, another mass-circulation daily, argued that even if Merkel does be come chancellor, she will not have room to work against Turkey’s bid.
“Even if Merkel comes to power, she will have to deal with pressing internal issues and will not try to obstruct the start of negotiations,” the newspaper said in a commentary.
The EU is scheduled to begin accession talks with Ankara on October 3, but that date has been called into question by several member states due to Turkey’s failure to recognize the Republic of Cyprus and its Greek-Cypriot government.
Erdogan said he hoped in the end that “a positive result for the European process” would come out of the German elections.
The TGD also welcomed the election of five Turkish Germans to the lower house of the German Parliament, noting that turnout among ethnic Turks in Germany had been high.
Kathimerini, 20/09/05
Kun je dit nu Turkocentrisme noemen? :D
ANKARA (AFP) - Turkish leaders at home arid abroad yesterday hailed German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder’s success at denying opposition conservative Angela Merkel a clear election victory, calling it a boost for Turkey’s bid to join the European Union.
“I want to say that Schroeder led a campaign which, in my opinion, succeeded,” Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told journalists at Ankara’s airport.
Schroeder and his Social Democrats (SPD) have firmly supported launching EU accession talks with Turkey as planned next month, while Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) is against giving Ankara full membership in the bloc.
In Germany, where some 600,000 citizens of Turkish origin cast ballots in Sunday’s poll, local Turkish leaders said the message of the narrow election result was clear.
“Germany will not have a government that prevents or delays Turkey’s accession,” said Kenan Kolat, chairman of the Turkish Community in Germany (TGD).
Merkel’s Christian Democrats scored the highest result in the general election but the wafer-thin margin between her party and Schroeder’s SPD prompted him to refuse to concede defeat. The two are now locked in a power struggle to determine who will form the next coalition government and serve as chancellor.
On Turkey’s EU bid, the CDU has pushed for a “privileged partnership” between Ankara and Brussels, a proposal the Turks have rejected.
“I call on Mrs Merkel to abandon this idea and to promote clear accession prospects for Turkey. This is also in Germany’s interest,” the TGD’s Kolat said.
That sentiment was echoed in the headlines back home. “Opposition to Turkey did not benefit Merkel,” said the Milliyet newspaper.
Erdogan also weighed in with some criticism of German opposition to Turkey’s EU ambition, without mentioning Merkel by name.
“The (electoral) campaign showed to what extent negative propaganda against the Turks and, especially on the subject of the privileged partnership or the accession between Turkey and the EU, brought about the negative results,” Erdogan said.
Merkel’s failure to achieve an outright victory in the elections has “eliminated the possibility of any fine-tuning in the country’s foreign policy that would be against Turkey’s EU drive,” the daily Hurriyet said.
Sabah, another mass-circulation daily, argued that even if Merkel does be come chancellor, she will not have room to work against Turkey’s bid.
“Even if Merkel comes to power, she will have to deal with pressing internal issues and will not try to obstruct the start of negotiations,” the newspaper said in a commentary.
The EU is scheduled to begin accession talks with Ankara on October 3, but that date has been called into question by several member states due to Turkey’s failure to recognize the Republic of Cyprus and its Greek-Cypriot government.
Erdogan said he hoped in the end that “a positive result for the European process” would come out of the German elections.
The TGD also welcomed the election of five Turkish Germans to the lower house of the German Parliament, noting that turnout among ethnic Turks in Germany had been high.
Kathimerini, 20/09/05
Kun je dit nu Turkocentrisme noemen? :D