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ANKARA: Erdogan Says EP Decision Won't Harm Turkey's EU Process

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  • ANKARA: Erdogan Says EP Decision Won't Harm Turkey's EU Process

    ERDOGAN SAYS EP DECISION WON'T HARM TURKEY'S EU PROCESS

    NTV MSNBC, Turkey
    Sept 29 2005

    Ankara never claimed its declaration on not recognising the Greek
    Cypriot Administration was a legal document, the Prime Minister said.

    Guncelleme: 04:19 ET 29 Eylul 2005 PeršembeABU DHABI - The decision
    of the European Parliament to defer the ratification of Turkey's
    extended customs union with the European Union would not have any
    impact of the opening of accession negotiations next week.

    Responding to the European Parliament's decision Wednesday to delay
    a vote on the amended customs union protocol due to Turkey's refusal
    to recognise the Greek Cypriot state, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
    Erdogan said the parliament's decisions were not binding. "The decision
    would not have an impact on our EU process," he said during a visit
    to Saudi Arabia.

    Erdogan said that the European Parliament's vote calling for Turkey's
    recognition of the alleged genocide by the Ottoman Empire against
    its Armenian citizens during the First World War was also not binding.

    The Turkish Prime Minister said that the EU risked being labelled
    a Christian club if it blocked Turkey's accession. What will the
    EU achieve by admitting Turkey? It will become a bridge between the
    1.5-billion strong Muslim world and the EU. It will start an alliance
    of civilisations," he said.

    Erdogan also slammed a report in the US paper The Washington Times
    claiming that he condemned European values and freedoms and was
    turning Turkey into a Islamic-fascist state. Erdogan said that no
    one could pass such a sentence on a prime minister.

    --Boundary_(ID_4oOA84iHdTeAzUz00pUpSg)--
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