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EU lawmakers urge halt to Turkey-EU membership talks
A European Union (L) and Turkish flag fly outside a hotel in Istanbul, Turkey, May 4, 2016. PHOTO BY REUTERS/Murad Sezer
By Gilbert Reilhac
24/11/2016
STRASBOURG (Reuters) - European Union lawmakers called on Thursday for a temporary halt to EU membership talks with Turkey because of Ankara's "disproportionate" reaction to July's failed coup, although EU governments are unlikely to take heed.
Members of the European Parliament voted 479 to 37 in favor of a non-binding motion urging the European Commission and national governments to institute what lawmakers acknowledge would be a largely symbolic freeze in negotiations that have been going on for 11 years but have long been stalled.
Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said ties with the EU were already strained and that the vote was of no importance, echoing comments this week by President Tayyip Erdogan.
"We expect EU leaders to stand up against this lack of vision," he told reporters. "The EU should decide whether it wants to continue its future vision with or without Turkey."
Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Simsek said the vote would do nothing to encourage reforms, describing it on Twitter as populist and short-sighted.
Neither side expects Turkey to be in a position to join the EU for very many years to come.
"The European Parliament ... strongly condemns the disproportionate repressive measures taken in Turkey since the failed military coup attempt in July," the parliament motion read, although it added that it remained committed to keeping Turkey "anchored" to the EU.
More than 125,000 people - including soldiers, academics, judges, journalists and Kurdish leaders - have been detained or dismissed over their alleged backing for the July 15 coup attempt, in what opponents, rights groups and some Western allies say is an attempt to crush all dissent.
TOP DIPLOMAT URGES CAUTION
Austria has led calls to stop Turkey's membership talks. Germany, France and most other EU states for now back continued engagement and fear putting at risk Erdogan's collaboration on migration.
EU leaders are due to discuss Turkey again when they meet in Brussels at a regular summit on Dec. 15-16.
Lawmakers debated EU-Turkey relations on Tuesday, with the main parties backing a freeze.
However, the EU executive's top diplomat, Federica Mogherini, urged caution during the debate, saying an end to the accession process would result in a lose-lose situation.
Erdogan accuses the EU of failing to understand the gravity of threats to Turkey. He said the bloc would have to "live with the consequences" if it stopped the talks and that Ankara could instead join an security alliance run by Russia and China.
Turkey still hopes to win visa-free travel for its citizens to the EU, part of an EU promise in Ankara's exchange for its help in keeping migrants away from Europe, although the chances of it earning that right by the end of this year seem distant.
As part of the same deal with the EU in March, Brussels agreed to reinvigorate accession talks.
(Reporting By Philip Blenkinsop in Brussels, Tuvan Gumrukcu and Gulsen Solaker in Ankara; Editing by Alastair Macdonald/Nick Tattersall/Jeremy Gaunt)
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