While December 17 approaches, Turkey is speeding its attempts to gain the best result. After Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul concentrated their diplomatic traffic, prominent business associations and civil society organizations entered the stage.
Yesterday, members from the "Turkish Platform", organized by the Turkish Union of Chambers and Stock Exchanges (TOBB) and Economic Development Foundation (IKV), filled three planes and made a conquest to the European center Brussels.
The platform consisted of 269 civil society organizations. Beside the business circles where the weight of Industry and Trade Chambers are represented, Beveragers Association and Equestrians Sports Club are also among the platform's institutions .
Cyprus came up during a meeting between Erdogan and the President of the European Union (EU) Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, on December 10.Erdogan rejected Barroso's suggestion to make a gesture toward Cyprus before the summit and said: "Turkey fulfilled more than its obligations. It is impossible to implement a new action before the summit."
The Turkish Platform Meeting at the Conrad Hotel started with presentations by the IKV Chairman, Davut Okutcu, and TOBB Chairman, Rifat Hisarciklioglu. After their presentation, Erdogan took the floor.
Turkey-EU Joint Consultation Committee Co-President Jann Olsson, European Parliament (EP) former President Patrick Cox, the Commission's Enlargement officer, Olli Rehn, and Vice President of the European Commission, Quadres Roca, attended the meeting as guest speakers. European guests made positive comments. Olsson said that seeing such a crowd of civil society organizations in Brussels impressed him.
Cox determined that Turkey earned the right of a negotiation date with the numerous reforms it made and added, "The time to say 'yes' to Turkey arrived, and the time to say 'yes' is now."
Rehn concurred and said that EU leaders would decide, during the summit, to open discussions with Turkey by 2005.
EU authorities talked affirmatively in content and in style, which boosted the morale of the Turkish delegates. Erdogan asked in his long speech, "If the EU demands to be a global power, the way to do this does not pass through Turkey?"
Erdogan determined his expectation that member states would make a definite, unconditional and non deviated from the full membership decision on December in order to open the accession negotiations with Turkey without delay.
The platform issued a civilian declaration at the meeting entitled "Turkey kept its promise, it's the Europe Union's turn now". The declaration, read by TOBB Chairman Hisarciklioglu, may be perceived as a final call for European leaders. TOBB acted similarly before the Copenhagen Summit in 2002.
The declaration addressed the heads of states and the governments of EU members, and demanded that EU leaders keep the promises they made to Turkey during the Ankara Agreement, the Helsinki Summit and the following process.
The declaration also emphasized an expectation to open negotiations, with equal conditions, without delay for full membership. The declaration reminded European leaders that Europe would be missing out without Turkey. The only purpose for 41 years of partnership was for eventual, full membership. There had been no other alternative other than this and discriminatory treatment exemplified by any condition, including Cyprus, would not be accepted during the negotiation process. This conquest made to Brussels just a week before the summit where Turkey's EU adventure will be shaped will undoubtedly make an affirmative influence on the decision of the European leaders.
