I received an interesting telephone call the day after the European Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee released its communique.

- 07 / 05 / 2008 17:01

The person who called me was a European based prominent Turkish politician. We have not spoken for about four years.

The article had been translated and distributed to members of the committee.

This is the first time that a balanced voice was coming out of Europe.

On that day, the Turkish descent parliamentarian told me something really important.

And I quote:

"In fact most European parliamentarians support this level-headed thinking.  However, our greatest problems stem from the CHP. The CHP doesn’t show support for Europe; either that or they are just trying to create that impression. In fact I will say the harshest criticism directed at the CHP comes from the socialist group members. If we could find a positive respondent from within the CHP, believe me, we would find a joint policy in Europe that would embrace the whole of Turkey. "

* * *

Actually, for a long time I had been thinking upon these lines.

I had been drafting an article on the important historical responsibilities of the CHP.

But then there was the forthcoming general meeting of the party.

And I couldn’t find it in my heart to write anything on the party during this general meeting.

* * *

In recent days, I noticed something while reading Olli Rehn’s statements.

The CHP’s current administration has a historical obligation.

I chose "obligation" for a reason and stand by it.

CHP, under Baykal’s leadership, is responsible for making the millions of secular, modern Turks who support the rule of law and democracy, misunderstood and ineffectual in the eye’s European Union.

If today Olli Rehn is placing secular people in Turkey into the category of fascists and dares to show those people who believe in the principles of Ataturk as totalitarian monsters, he cannot be the only person here to blame.

The CHP is also guilty for not putting forward an alternative policy, which is modern, democratic, and in favor of integration with the world, to the EU.

* * *

Turkey, urgently needs to wrestle the monopoly in EU relations away from the AKP and prove that the AKP is not Turkey’s only democratic party.

Yes, Baykal and his associates should be undertaking this mission.

On the other hand, if the CHP fails to act, they will share the responsibility of labeling this country’s most modern, most enlightened and democratic citizens as secular fascists along with those unscrupulous people.