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TURKISH PM ERDOGAN: "I HOPE EU TALKS WON’T TAKE TOO LONG" |
7 October 2004Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that he hoped Turkey's accession negotiations with the European Union (EU) would not take too long as less than three months remain before a crucial decision by EU leaders on whether to begin membership talks with Turkey is to be made. "The talks will not be short, but we hope they will be completed in a reasonable period of time," he said in a speech prepared for parliamentarians at the Council of Europe in the French city of Strasbourg.
Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul hailed the commission's recommendation to launch the accession talks with Turkey as historic.
GUL: "EU LEADERS WILL SHOW A STRONG WILL"
"This is a historic decision both for Turkey and for Europe. It [the Commission] has made the recommendation it had to make," Gul told reporters in Ankara shortly after the European Commission published its long-awaited verdict on Ankara's political reforms.
"We believe EU leaders will show a strong will in meeting the commission's positive recommendation," said Erdogan, whose government has approved a flurry of political and human rights reforms since coming to power in November 2002.
Erdogan said Turkey hoped to begin talks in the first half of next year. However, diplomats in Brussels and Ankara say they are more likely to start in the second half of 2005, when Britain, a supporter of Turkey's bid, holds the EU's rotating presidency.
"I repeat our pledges to respect such values as individual freedom, human rights and the rule of law," Erdogan said.
The commission published its long-awaited report on Turkey's reforms with a recommendation that entry talks should begin, nevertheless, the report sets conditions for Turkey's negotiations and warned that suspension was possible if Ankara backtracked on any key democratic and human rights reforms.
Turkey, a large, relatively poor and overwhelmingly Muslim country is not expected to join the EU before 2015, at the earliest.
VERHUEGEN: WE RECOMMEND START OF NEGOTIATIONS WITH TURKEY
European Union (EU) Commissioner for Enlargement Gunter Verheugen announced earlier that the EU Commission recommends the start of negotiations with Turkey.
Verheugen explained that the Progress Report was detailed, balanced, neutral, and complete. He emphasized that the reforms undertaken in Turkey were the works of years, not just a few weeks. Verhuegen added that the judicial structure in Turkey meets EU criteria, and he focused on the importance of implementing the reforms.
The Commissioner informed that there were some concerns included in the report. He said that a rigid framework was suggested for the negotiations, and reminded that they could be suspended at any time. In addition, a permanent restriction could still be applied to the freedom of movement; however, he does not think that the issue will keep the negotiations from proceeding.
The Commissioner said that the recommendation decision was forwarded to the EU Council. The EU Council and EU member countries will have the final say on the matter.
Sources: Turkish Daily News & Zaman daily,
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7 October 2004
TDN & Zaman
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