October 10, 2006: Chancellor Angela Merkel's first visit to Turkey was bound to be a test for Germany's grand coalition government of the country's two largest political parties, the Social Democratic Union (SPD) and Merkel's own Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its Bavarian ally, the Christian Socialist Union (CSU). For years the SPD has supported Turkey in its bid to seek full membership in the European Union. The CDU and CSU oppose full membership for Turkey and have proposed a "privileged partnership" as an alternative on several occasions. Prior to becoming chancellor, Merkel herself went on record as a supporter of the "privileged partnership" approach.

The coalition agreement between the SPD and the CDU/CSU stipulates that all previous agreements between the EU and Turkey will be honored by Germany. Among those agreements are the negotiations started one year ago on Turkish membership in the EU. The negotiations are expected to last ten or more years, with some analysts predicting as many as 20 years.

The German government's position is that the EU's negotiations with Turkey are to be conducted fairly with no pre-determined outcome. For the SPD, "no pre-determined outcome" means that the negotiations are not conducted with any bias towards rejecting Turkish membership, while the CDU/CSU emphasizes the opposite – there is no guarantee that negotiations will lead EU membership for Turkey.

During her two-day visit to Turkey late last week, Merkel emphasized Ankara's acceptance of free trade with fellow EU member the Republic of Cyprus, the Greek portion of the island, as a prerequisite for an eventual successful conclusion to negotiations on membership. "Whoever wants become a member of the EU has to accept trade among its partners," the German chancellor declared unequivocally. The EU expects Turkey to open its airports and seaports to direct trade with Greek Cypriots.

In her weekly internet message following her visit, Merkel declared that Europe has to say openly where its borders are. "We have negotiations on membership with Croatia and Turkey, but we also know that we cannot admit any more members for the foreseeable future," she wrote. Her comments follow the EU decision to admit Romania and Bulgaria as members in January 2007. Merkel also emphasized that she had spoken several times about her preference for a "privileged partnership" during her visit to Turkey.

The reaction to her visit within the grand coalition was predictable. Her party colleagues emphasized their support for her position, including Bavarian governor Edmund Stoiber, who suggested that negotiations with Turkey should be suspended indefinitely if the Cyprus problem is not resolved. By contrast, SPD leaders were critical, saying that the EU is presently sending only negative signals to Ankara. However, SPD European parliamentarian Martin Schulz, in the past an ardent supporter of Turkish EU membership, expressed doubts for the first time on whether Turkey should be allowed to join the EU. "In its present condition Turkey cannot possibly be admitted as a member," Schulz told the weekly "Bild am Sonntag", referring to the Cyprus problem as a serious hurdle for successful negotiations.

The difference of opinion over Turkish EU membership is only the latest in a serious of coalition clashes in Berlin that indicate an early end to the four-year term of the present government.