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EU Slams Turkey In Draft Progress Report -Paper

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  • EU Slams Turkey In Draft Progress Report -Paper

    EU SLAMS TURKEY IN DRAFT PROGRESS REPORT -PAPER

    Reuters, UK
    June 18 2006

    ISTANBUL (Reuters) - The EU criticises the Turkish military's role
    in politics, a lack of reform and minority rights and relations
    with Cyprus in the draft of a progress report due later this year,
    a newspaper reported on Sunday.

    The European Union is due to publish a progress report on
    Ankara's entry bid in October or November, a year after the start
    of negotiations, which turned frosty on Friday when Prime Minister
    Tayyip Erdogan said he would sooner see talks suspended than make
    concessions over Cyprus.

    Turkey's Cumhuriyet newspaper cited EU sources on Sunday as saying the
    first draft criticised Turkey's refusal to open its ports to Cyprus,
    as the EU demands, before the bloc lifts trade restrictions on Turkish
    Cypriots in breakaway northern Cyprus.

    The paper said the draft also notes a slowdown in political reform,
    the military's continuing influence over political institutions and
    calls for more work for judicial independence and rights for women
    and minorities.

    It says conditions in the poor, mainly Kurdish southeast, where
    security forces are fighting separatist guerrillas, have deteriorated
    and criticises relations with traditional enemies and neighbours
    Greece and Armenia.

    The European Commission's enlargement spokeswoman, Krisztina Nagy,
    said the report was still a long way off. "I don't think a consolidated
    draft report exists at this stage. In any case it is much too early
    to speculate on its content," she said.

    The newspaper said the draft would be amended, but the sources did
    not expect many fundamental changes.

    "This is standard EU criticism of Turkey," said an official in Brussels
    who asked not to be named. "It was present in last year's report and
    it is likely to be in this year's report."

    EU leaders at a summit in Brussels on Friday replied to Erdogan's
    Cyprus comments by calling on Turkey to let shipping from the tiny
    Mediterranean island use Turkish ports this year.

    Last week Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker was quoted
    as saying membership talks should be frozen if Turkey does not open
    its ports this year.

    EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn has said Turkey, which is not
    expected to join the wealthy bloc until 2015 at the earliest, could
    be heading for a "train crash" in its accession process and has urged
    Ankara to step up reforms.

    From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
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