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TURKEY
Turkey preparing for EU membership
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan who took office in March 2003, addressing the World
Economic Forum, said that Turkey is determined to continue
pursuing the political and economic restructuring necessary
to “harmonise” its rules with that of the European Union and prepare
his country for membership.
EU leaders will know
this year whether Turkey
has implemented the reforms necessary for accession
negotiations to begin. Erdogan said that, by approving
Ankara’s bid, the EU would prove its willingness to
“overcome prejudices” and welcome the predominantly Muslim
nation into Europe.
In response to questions on Cyprus by
Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman, World Economic
Forum, Erdogan said he had discussed the issue of the
divided island in a bilateral meeting with United Nations
secretary-general Kofi Annan earlier. Erdogan stressed that
resolving the Cyprus problem is not a prerequisite for
Turkey’s admission to the EU. “But it has to be resolved,”
he acknowledged, noting that Turkey has approached Greece
about reopening talks. “We will give all our effort to find
a solution,” said the Prime Minister, adding that Ankara
wants to conclude an agreement before
May first, when Cyprus is
scheduled to become an EU member.
When asked to consider what sort of
government Iraq should adopt, Erdogan told participants that
Turkey would prefer that its neighbour not establish a
federal system based on ethnic or religious divisions. The Prime Minister said that elections
should not be held too quickly and that the new government
“needed to embrace all of Iraq”. Once a constitution is
written, Erdogan added, general and local polls should be
held under the supervision of an international
organisation. It is important that the integrity of Iraq as
a whole be respected and that the country’s oil resources be
used to benefit all Iraqis, the Turkish leader concluded.
Source:
World Economic Forum |
