Socialist leader Schulz: package is a step closer to EU and her values

Speaking on the “European Desk” broadcast on STVHaber, Schulz supported the package, declaring it to be “clearly in the interest of the modernization of Turkey and aiming to bring Turkey a step nearer to the European Union and her values.” Stressing that his first feeling was that the package was a quite good proposal, Schulz underlined that he would also listen carefully to the concerns of the opposition.

“The content of the proposals, to make it more difficult to close the political parties, to give more rights to women, etc., is clearly in the interest of modernizing Turkey and bringing Turkey a step nearer to European Union and her values. I will not comment on any constitutional change in any country.

It is highly controversial in Turkey, and I need to say that it is up to the political parties. But my first feeling is that it is a good proposal. I will of course listen to the remarks of the opposition carefully,” he said. After discussing Turkey’s fight for democratization, the socialist leader also commented on the ongoing Ergenekon trial, where almost 200 defendants are standing trial for various offenses including plotting to overthrow the democratically elected government of the Turkish Republic.

“Ergenekon is a very specific internal issue for Turkey. It is now up to the judiciary, and it is forbidden for me to comment a lot on this. But I think a civil government and an independent judiciary have always the right and even the duty to go ahead and try those who attempt to undermine the constitutional reality of a democratic country. If there are suspicions that generals, colonels and other officers have created plans to bring down democracy, then it is the duty of the government and the judiciary to go after that. If those people are innocent, of course they should be released,” he said.

‘Nobody can explain what privileged partnership is to me’

Schulz, who leads the 184-strong Socialist group, which was renamed the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats after the June 2009 elections, is expected to be the next president of the European Parliament in 2012. Known as a supporter of Turkey’s bid to join the EU, Schulz criticized German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the European Union for the lack of honest approaches vis-a-vis Turkey. On the eve of her first visit to Turkey in four years, he called on Merkel to be clear on Turkey’s EU process.

“When I first heard about the ‘privileged partnership’, I thought it is like living together without being married. Now I’ve learned that nobody can explain to me what privileged partnership is. If Merkel goes to Turkey and openly says that she is against Turkey and justifies why and proposes alternatives, she will have my full respect. But here in Brussels people speak differently behind closed doors. The speeches behind closed doors are very different from the ones made publicly. Publicly everyone says we are for the negotiations, behind closed doors lots of European leaders say Turkey will never join European Union,” he said.

‘Common history commission on Armenian killings a good step’

Schulz also commented on the recent tension over Armenian killings during World War I.  He said Turkey’s proposal to form a joint commission of scholars to determine the reality of the past was a good step forward. “The call by the Turkish government to form a common commission of international scholars on history of 1915 was a very good step forward. Why take a step now and go back before the commission starts working? It is not meaningful. It would have been better to wait for this commission’s findings. I never expected this government would take such a huge step forward,” he stated.

The Socialist leader also assessed the prospect of reunification for the long-divided Cyprus. He said the then-leader of the Greek side, the late Tassos Papadopoulos, was to blame for the failure of the Annan plan in 2004. He also noted that the EU did not live up to its words following the Turkish approval and Greek rejection of the plan.

“For sure the EU made mistakes on Cyprus, and not all the promises were kept, but it is a complicated issue. Turkey should apply the Ankara Protocol. To be honest with you, sometimes I am hopeless on Cyprus. Günter Verheugen, a very close friend of mine, I remember very well, told me when he came back from Cyprus as the then-enlargement commissioner that everyone on the island agreed on the Annan plan. But then Papadopoulos worked against the agreement. We have a word for that in civil life, but I won’t use it. There is a certain interpretation of what Mr. Papadopoulos did, but I will not use it publicly. But it was an enormous damage to the credibility first and foremost for Mr. Papadopoulos himself,” he said.