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Turkish PM heads to EU summit on confident mood
By Gareth Jones and Aine Gallagher
ANKARA/STRASBOURG, France, Dec 15 (Reuters) - Prime Minister Tayyip
Erdogan voiced confidence on Wednesday that Turkey would win a date
for opening long-delayed European Union entry talks at a landmark
summit of the bloc's 25 leaders this week.
Diplomats in Brussels confirmed the leaders would agree on Friday to
open talks with the populous Muslim country in October or November
2005 with the clear aim of membership.
"Politics does not allow for emotions and we are not emotional. We
want to carry out this process in a mature way," Erdogan told a news
conference at Ankara airport before flying to Brussels for the summit,
which starts on Thursday evening.
French President Jacques Chirac gave Turkey further cause for optimism
by backing its membership bid in a television interview intended to
break down opposition in France and ease fears that Turkey's entry
would change the face of the EU.
"The question we have to ask is -- is it in the interests of Europe,
and notably France, to have Turkey join us? My answer is yes --
if. Yes, if Turkey fulfils all the conditions necessary for every
candidate to join our union," he told TF1 television.
Some French leaders in recent weeks floated the idea of Ankara being
offered a deal that falls short of membership, but Chirac distanced
himself from this possibility. He said Ankara would never accept a
"privileged partnership" with the EU.
Turkish-EU summits have sometimes been stormy affairs. Ankara froze
ties in 1997 after the bloc failed to make Turkey a candidate for
membership. It finally became a candidate in 1999.
After a 41-year wait to start talks, Turkey could not join the
bloc until 2015 at the earliest. The negotiations will require a
transformation of its economy and society far beyond the political
and human rights reforms already enacted.
CONCILIATORY NOTE
Striking a conciliatory note, Erdogan said he wanted to focus on
how Turkey could contribute to the EU and help turn it into a global
power, but he reiterated his readiness to walk away from the table
if the bloc imposed too many conditions.
"We don't expect any conditions that we cannot accept. But if they
try to impose them...we would put relations on ice and continue on
our own path," Erdogan said.
The message from EU institutions on Wednesday was upbeat.
"It is now time for the European Council to honour its commitment to
Turkey and announce the opening of accession negotiations. A clear
date should be indicated," EU Commission President Jose Manuel
Barroso told the European Parliament.
"We accept that the accession process is open-ended and its outcome
cannot be guaranteed beforehand," Barroso added, reflecting continued
European wariness about embracing Turkey.
The European Parliament, meeting in the French city of Strasbourg,
also urged EU leaders to open talks "without undue delay" in a
non-binding but influential resolution approved after heated debate
between Turkey's supporters and opponents.
The directly elected assembly adopted the resolution by 407 votes
to 262 and also rejected decisively amendments offering a "special
partnership" or refusing full membership.
Lawmakers urged Ankara to continue human rights reforms, negotiate
with Kurdish separatists who renounced violence and recognise mass
killings of Armenians between 1915 and 1923 as "genocide," something
Turkey adamantly rejects.
Diplomats said the summit statement would add that whatever the
outcome, the EU would keep the strongest possible bond with Turkey,
implying there could be another outcome if it failed to meet EU
standards or chose to go another way.
Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel, one of the strongest sceptics
on Turkish accession, signalled on Wednesday that such wording would
enable him to agree to opening negotiations.
Turkish financial markets, buoyed by Tuesday's deal with the
International Monetary Fund, have soared in anticipation of a
"yes." The lira currency rose to around 1,409,000 to the dollar,
though the main Istanbul share index shed 0.55 percent to end at
23,289.69 points on profit-taking, still near historic highs.
12/15/04 19:55 ET
By Gareth Jones and Aine Gallagher
ANKARA/STRASBOURG, France, Dec 15 (Reuters) - Prime Minister Tayyip
Erdogan voiced confidence on Wednesday that Turkey would win a date
for opening long-delayed European Union entry talks at a landmark
summit of the bloc's 25 leaders this week.
Diplomats in Brussels confirmed the leaders would agree on Friday to
open talks with the populous Muslim country in October or November
2005 with the clear aim of membership.
"Politics does not allow for emotions and we are not emotional. We
want to carry out this process in a mature way," Erdogan told a news
conference at Ankara airport before flying to Brussels for the summit,
which starts on Thursday evening.
French President Jacques Chirac gave Turkey further cause for optimism
by backing its membership bid in a television interview intended to
break down opposition in France and ease fears that Turkey's entry
would change the face of the EU.
"The question we have to ask is -- is it in the interests of Europe,
and notably France, to have Turkey join us? My answer is yes --
if. Yes, if Turkey fulfils all the conditions necessary for every
candidate to join our union," he told TF1 television.
Some French leaders in recent weeks floated the idea of Ankara being
offered a deal that falls short of membership, but Chirac distanced
himself from this possibility. He said Ankara would never accept a
"privileged partnership" with the EU.
Turkish-EU summits have sometimes been stormy affairs. Ankara froze
ties in 1997 after the bloc failed to make Turkey a candidate for
membership. It finally became a candidate in 1999.
After a 41-year wait to start talks, Turkey could not join the
bloc until 2015 at the earliest. The negotiations will require a
transformation of its economy and society far beyond the political
and human rights reforms already enacted.
CONCILIATORY NOTE
Striking a conciliatory note, Erdogan said he wanted to focus on
how Turkey could contribute to the EU and help turn it into a global
power, but he reiterated his readiness to walk away from the table
if the bloc imposed too many conditions.
"We don't expect any conditions that we cannot accept. But if they
try to impose them...we would put relations on ice and continue on
our own path," Erdogan said.
The message from EU institutions on Wednesday was upbeat.
"It is now time for the European Council to honour its commitment to
Turkey and announce the opening of accession negotiations. A clear
date should be indicated," EU Commission President Jose Manuel
Barroso told the European Parliament.
"We accept that the accession process is open-ended and its outcome
cannot be guaranteed beforehand," Barroso added, reflecting continued
European wariness about embracing Turkey.
The European Parliament, meeting in the French city of Strasbourg,
also urged EU leaders to open talks "without undue delay" in a
non-binding but influential resolution approved after heated debate
between Turkey's supporters and opponents.
The directly elected assembly adopted the resolution by 407 votes
to 262 and also rejected decisively amendments offering a "special
partnership" or refusing full membership.
Lawmakers urged Ankara to continue human rights reforms, negotiate
with Kurdish separatists who renounced violence and recognise mass
killings of Armenians between 1915 and 1923 as "genocide," something
Turkey adamantly rejects.
Diplomats said the summit statement would add that whatever the
outcome, the EU would keep the strongest possible bond with Turkey,
implying there could be another outcome if it failed to meet EU
standards or chose to go another way.
Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel, one of the strongest sceptics
on Turkish accession, signalled on Wednesday that such wording would
enable him to agree to opening negotiations.
Turkish financial markets, buoyed by Tuesday's deal with the
International Monetary Fund, have soared in anticipation of a
"yes." The lira currency rose to around 1,409,000 to the dollar,
though the main Istanbul share index shed 0.55 percent to end at
23,289.69 points on profit-taking, still near historic highs.
12/15/04 19:55 ET