Germans try a bribe on Turkish immigration

Press, 13 December 1982, Page 24

Germans try a bribe on Turkish immigration

From

TONY CATTERALL,

in Cologne

An agreement reached between Turkey and West Germany is being interpreted in Bonn as averting a feared flood of Turks into the country after 1986. That is the-date when an association treaty between Turkey and the . European Economic Community comes into full effect, including a clause giving reciprocal rights of abode. More than 1.5 million Turks already live in West Germany, recruited as gastarbeiter — literally, guest-workers — in the days when the country had a labour shortage, but as the most visible of the minorities their numbers appear greater. With the rapid deterioration of the economy over the past year and the consequent rise in xenophobia among ordinary Germans, politicians of both Left and Right have been looking for a way out of the Turkish treaty. The German Foreign Minister, Hans Dietrich Genscher, now believes he has found it. During a visit to Ankara at the week-end he offered to recommend to the Government in Bonn the unfreezing of economic and military aid worth $2OO million, blocked since the military coup two years ago. In return, the Turkish Government undertook to see that the number of Turks in West Germany would not increase after 1986. A slight air of embarrass-

ment pervades Bonn at such a naked trade-off, but the situation was becoming desperate. Since recruitment of gastarbeiter was ended after the oil shock of 1973, the number of Turks in the country has increased by about 50 per cent as dependents continued to join those workers already in the country. The unemployment rate among gastarbeiter is about twice the national average of 7.9 per cent of the workforce, which has given rise to calls for their repatriation. In a recent public opinion poll, 82 per cent of those questioned said there were too many foreigners here. Speaking earlier this year about the expected mass immigration of Turks after 1986, a prominent member of the now governing Christian Democrats said, "When that tide engulfs us, it will mean the end of our welfare state." New restrictions on the entry rights of dependents were imposed by the previous Centre-Left Government under Chancellor Helmut Schmidt, and the new Interior Minister, Friedrich Zimmermann, recently announced plans to restrict them still further. Any restrictions would have been to no avail, if in only four years’ time every Turk had automatic right of entry. The Schmidt Government asked for a legal opinion earlier this year op what was meant by “freedom to live and

work in each other's countries", but, as expected, the experts said it meant exactly what it says. The treaty has no loopholes. The other European Community countries were not persuaded that association should be renegotiated, which left only Mr Genscher s bribe. However, even this has not completely resolved the question. The blocked aid to Turkey can be unfrozen only by the West German Parliament and the issue will face opposition from the Social Democrats and possibly even the Left wing of the junior partners in the present coalition, the Free Democrats. The Cabinet is discussing a report prepared by the Foreign Ministry on the resumption of aid, although Mr Genscher would hardly have made the offer if he was not certain of being backed by at least the Cabinet. He is expected to argue in Parliament that Turkey is now returning to democratic government after the new constitution was approved by 90 per cent of the voters earlier this month, and so is worthy of receiving aid again. Opponents will say, however, that the constitution provides only limited democracy. They will point out that Turkey has given no promise on emigration. Copyright. London Observer Service.