Turkey demands ‘no-strings’ talks date

Date: 03/10/02

By David Cronin and Paul Gallagher

TURKEY'S EU envoy has reacted angrily to suggestions the country will be granted a 'highly conditional' date for beginning negotiations on joining the Union at this December's European Council summit in Copenhagen.

The Turkish media have reported that EU leaders are planning to tell Ankara it could begin accession talks in 2005-2009, provided it has made sufficient progress on meeting the criteria for membership.

But Ambassador Oguz Demiralp is insisting that a no-strings attached declaration should be issued in Copenhagen, telling the Turks exactly when the discussions can begin.

'I'm against the idea of conditions,' he added. 'This would be unprecedented in the way of the European Union.

'I desire to see a pure and simple decision regarding the opening of negotiations and do not think there's a need to put up a list of conditions.'

Turkey, he argued, has been meeting EU demands to introduce laws allowing greater freedom of expression and protecting the rights of the Kurdish minority.

'We have a dynamic process of reform and this will receive a real impetus if a favourable decision is taken in Copenhagen,' he added.

While the European Commission has publicly welcomed recent moves, such as the abolition of the death penalty, senior officials are known to regard court decisions banning Islamist politician Recep Tayyip Erdogan and several others from taking part in the 3 November parliamentary election as major setbacks.

But Demiralp argued these rulings 'should not have a negative bearing on our relation with the EU'.

'These are court decisions and the persons concerned have the right to appeal. They have nothing to do with the government.'

Meanwhile, Brussels-based diplomats have argued that the speculation appearing in the Turkish press about the Copenhangen summit is premature.

The Commission's enlargement spokesman Jean-Christophe Filori said his institution is more focused on finalising its annual reports on the candidate countries, due to be published next Wednesday (9 October).

The idea of setting a 'highly conditional' date is 'certainly not on our agenda', he remarked. 'Let's wait for the regular reports on 9 October and the Turkish elections before coming to decide on what will be announced at Copenhagen. It's too early to speculate.'

A spokesman for the Danish EU presidency said: 'This is the first I've heard on it. It's far too early to say at this stage what will happen at Copenhagen with regards to EU-Turkish negotiations.'

Turkey's EU envoy has reacted angrily to suggestions the country will be granted a 'highly conditional' date for beginning negotiations on joining the European Union at the December 2002 European Council summit in Copenhagen.