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dezembro 16, 2004
EU set for historic decision on Turkey
Fonte: France Press
European Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso urged EU leaders to offer Turkey the prospect of full EU membership and nothing less, ahead of a summit expected to give Ankara a green light.
The call came as Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who arrived early for the summit starting Thursday evening, welcomed the EU's "positive" approach to his country's bid, while acknowledging that sticking points still remain.
The EU is notably keeping pressure on Ankara to recognize the Mediterranean island of Cyprus, a call that in theory could cloud the decision since the Greek-Cypriot government has been an EU member state since May.
Barroso acknowledged the Cypriot problem in a pre-summit press conference.
"Cyprus will be sitting at the table when European Union membership talks begin with Turkey ... The question for Turkey is what kind of message does it send when you do not recognise all the members sitting at the table?" he said.
But he agreed with the vast majority of EU leaders who appear in favour of starting talks, as recommended by the European Commission.
"Our vision for Turkey is clear: we are not looking for some kind of half-way house or mid-way deal," Barroso said. "If we should start negotiations with Turkey, it should be with full European membership in mind."
The most pro-Turkey EU states -- including Britain, Germany, Italy and Spain -- argue that admitting Turkey is a strategic priority as a bridge to the Muslim world.
But there is a hard core of sceptics including Austria, Cyprus and Denmark who say Turkey is simply too big, too different and too poor to join. They have called for Ankara to be offered a "privileged partnership" as an alternative to full EU membership, should negotiations fail.
The EU leaders were set to agree a date for the start of talks, expected to be in the second half of 2005, despite calls by Turkey for the haggling to start before next June.
They have also made clear that the negotiations will last for at least 10 years, while warning they could be suspended in case of serious problems, and that membership is not ultimately guaranteed.
But the call for Ankara to be offered a "privileged partnership" is unlikely to be included in the final offer, diplomats say.
The Turkish prime minister, no stranger to hard bargaining, warned on the eve of the Brussels summit that he would not sign a deal with the EU "at any price".
But in an open letter to EU leaders Thursday Erdogan was more conciliatory. He notably sought to dispel a major fear of European public opinion -- that their countries will be flooded with cheap Turkish labor.
And speaking to Turkish reporters at his Brussels hotel he acknowledged the upbeat mood.
"Generally they (EU leaders) seem to have a positive approach towards our sensitivities, but we have not resolved everything yet," he said.
Erdogan said the Cyprus issue remains unclear. "We cannot say where we stand now. It's all rumours at the moment. We will feel more comfortable when we have the text" which EU leaders are due to finalize on Friday.
Turkey, which geographically spans the Bosphorus divide between Europe and Asia, first signed an association agreement with the then European Economic Community in 1963.
Its big breakthrough came two years ago, when the EU agreed -- at the same time as agreeing to let in 10 states in the bloc's biggest-ever expansion -- to decide in December 2004 on whether to start talks with Turkey.
As conciliatory noises emerged from all sides in Brussels, Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi added his contribution to the debate.
"The Islamic world, including Islamic extremists up to (Osama) bin Laden, is rejoicing at Turkey's entry. It is their Trojan horse," he said in an interview with Italian media.
Publicado por esta às dezembro 16, 2004 04:27 PM