Comments on: A bridge over very troubled waters http://www.giornaledibarganews.com/2007/10/17/a-bridge-over-very-troubled-waters/ busily putting barga on the map Thu, 09 Feb 2012 23:24:29 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: doggybag http://www.giornaledibarganews.com/2007/10/17/a-bridge-over-very-troubled-waters/#comment-642 doggybag Wed, 17 Oct 2007 10:18:09 +0000 http://www.giornaledibarganews.com/2007/10/17/a-bridge-over-very-troubled-waters/#comment-642 No way to treat a friend - <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/eu/story/0,,2192705,00.html" rel="nofollow">an article this morning in the Guardian</a>, UK by Chris Patten says that Europe has just as much to lose as Turkey if the doubters prevail in the membership battle - For the third year in a row, Turkey's annual hurdles on the winding path of convergence with the EU - a progress report early next month and the European Council in December - are likely to be bruising. Doubters will seize on gridlock over Cyprus and a pause in legislative reform to allege that Turkey is not changing and should be pushed back outside the EU's gates. They will point to Ankara's response to US efforts to declare the 1915-23 killing of Armenians a genocide, and the political push for an incursion into northern Iraq to deal with cross-border terrorist attacks, as evidence that Turkey is not ready to join the club. So it is worth stepping back and considering why Europe needs Turkey. · Lord Patten, the former European commissioner for external relations, is chairman of the board of the International Crisis Group Crisisgroup.org No way to treat a friend – an article this morning in the Guardian, UK by Chris Patten says that Europe has just as much to lose as Turkey if the doubters prevail in the membership battle – For the third year in a row, Turkey’s annual hurdles on the winding path of convergence with the EU – a progress report early next month and the European Council in December – are likely to be bruising. Doubters will seize on gridlock over Cyprus and a pause in legislative reform to allege that Turkey is not changing and should be pushed back outside the EU’s gates. They will point to Ankara’s response to US efforts to declare the 1915-23 killing of Armenians a genocide, and the political push for an incursion into northern Iraq to deal with cross-border terrorist attacks, as evidence that Turkey is not ready to join the club. So it is worth stepping back and considering why Europe needs Turkey.

· Lord Patten, the former European commissioner for external relations, is chairman of the board of the International Crisis Group Crisisgroup.org

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