BRUSSELS, Dec 16: EU leaders opened a long-awaited summit on Thursday expected to clear the way for Turkey to start membership talks, as last-minute haggling intensified over stumbling blocks including Cyprus.
Amid mounting calls for Ankara to overcome lingering resistance to its future membership, notably by recognizing Cyprus, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan plunged into a round of meeting with EU heads of government. He welcomed "positive" signals emanating from those talks, and indicated he expected to reach a compromise on Cyprus by Friday's close.
With the summit getting under way with dinner talks - and EU leaders widely expected to agree a date to start talks, probably in the second half of 2005 - European Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso said it was "time for Europe to say 'yes' to Turkey ... but it's also time for Turkey to say 'yes' to Europe."
While the EU admitted 10 mostly east European countries earlier this year, they shared much the same cultural, historic and geographic background. Taking in Turkey, a vast predominantly Muslim nation, would stretch the EU from the rainy shores of western Ireland to the borders of Iraq and Syria and necessitate a redefinition of the very concept of Europe.
Barroso was clear: "Our vision for Turkey is clear: we are not looking for some kind of half-way house or mid-way deal," he 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 it is a strategic priority as a bridge to the Muslim world.
The Cyprus issue has become one of the biggest stumbling blocks to Turkey's hopes of seeing its four-decade drive to be embraced into the European fold reach fruition.
Although Cyprus joined the EU in May, Turkey still refuses to recognize its government, recognizing instead only the Turkish Cypriot northern third of the divided island.
Barroso urged Ankara to recognize Cyprus "sooner rather than later," urging Turkish leaders "to show by their acts that they are really ready for coming in this joint project with us."
EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana also bluntly warned Ankara what was at stake. "If you want to be part of a family you have to recognize all the members of the family.... without that it's difficult to be part of the family," he told reporters. -AFP
RECOGNITION OF CYPRUS
Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul ruled out on Thursday any form of recognition by his country of Cyprus, a move seen by some as a condition for the EU to open accession talks with Ankara. "Direct or indirect recognition of Cyprus is out of the question," Mr Gul told reporters. -Reuters
