[A-List] Re: EWP

[Sabri Oncu <soncu@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

> I'd be happy for the EU to beg Turkey to join and
> for Turkey to say no, but at the moment the boot is
> on the other foot, and that's the point. All the new
> applicants have been accepted in principle EXCEPT Turkey.
> That's the issue.
>
> Mark

I know Mark. I told that my reaction was not rational. You cannot
imagine how happy I would be if the EU begged Turkey to join and
Turkey said no. I would even be happier if I were the one who
said no in my country's name. But as we know, it is not going to
happen. So even I would be better of with a European Workers
Party.

Take a look at what is below.

Best,
Sabri

++++++

WORLD NEWS: Big nations boost Turkey's hopes for EU accession
By Judy Dempsey in Brussels
Financial Times; Oct 26, 2002


Europe's five leading countries yesterday gave a boost to
Turkey's ambitions to join the European Union by agreeing in
principle to consider at the Copenhagen summit in December giving
Ankara a timetable for starting accession negotiations.

Diplomats said the informal accord by Britain, Germany, France,
Italy and Spain amounted to a psychological boost for the
reformers in Turkey ahead of parliamentary elections there on
November 3.

It may also revitalise stalled talks over the divided island of
Cyprus, one of the 10 countries that will join the EU in 2004.
Its northern part was occupied by Turkey in 1974.

Greece, which takes over the EU's rotating presidency in January,
had wanted EU leaders to go further at Copenhagen by giving
Turkey a specific date for starting negotiations.

Several countries said they preferred to take stock of the
election result and the pace of reforms and set a "rendezvous"
clause at the summit.

"There we will set a date to meet and finally give the timetable
for starting accession talks," said a senior EU diplomat.

Much also depends on Turkey meeting the "Copenhagen criteria" - a
set of conditions, including the rule of law and human rights
standards, candidate countries have to meet before starting
negotiations.

The mood among EU leaders marks a significant shift, motivated in
part by pressure from the US and an awareness that Brussels was
obliged to give Turkey some incentive to meet the Copenhagen
criteria as well as recognition over reforms already undertaken.

"We see all these things linked with each other," said Tom
Weston, the US State Department's envoy to Cyprus. "What we want
to see is a Cyprus settlement, no backsliding on economic reform
in Turkey, and implementation of reforms. For these things, the
EU could recognise what Ankara is doing."

EU leaders shied away from discussing Iraq in any detail, even
though it was on the agenda.

"We did not want [the summit] to become a divisive session," said
a diplomat. "The action is in New York among UN Security Council
members." Neither of Europe's two Security Council members -
France and Britain - was enthusiastic about Iraq dominating the
foreign policy agenda in Brussels, he added.

* Greece and Turkey have agreed to postpone military exercises
planned on the disputed Mediterranean island of Cyprus, George
Papandreou, Greek foreign minister, said yesterday, Reuters
reports from Brussels.

"Each year military exercises normally take place in Cyprus," he
told a news conference. "Greece and Turkey have agreed. .. to
postpone all military exercises planned in Cyprus for the
foreseeable future."

Mr Papandreou said Greece wanted the military exercises to be
postponed as a goodwill gesture and to help bring peace to the
region.