--- SEARCH ---
WEATHER
CHINA
INTERNATIONAL
BUSINESS
CULTURE
GOVERNMENT
SCI-TECH
ENVIRONMENT
SPORTS
LIFE
PEOPLE
TRAVEL
WEEKLY REVIEW
Film in China
War on Poverty
Learning Chinese
Learn to Cook Chinese Dishes
Exchange Rates
Hotel Service
China Calendar
Telephone and
Postal Codes


Hot Links
China Development Gateway
Chinese Embassies

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Permanent Mission of the People's Republic of China to the UN
Permanent Mission of the People's Republic of China to the United Nations Office at Geneva and other International Organizations in Switzerland
Foreign Affairs College
Turkey Refuses New Entry Conditions

Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said yesterday Turkey could not accept any new conditions for the opening of entry talks with the European Union on October 3.

 

In his first public reaction to comments from French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin suggesting Ankara must recognize EU member Cyprus before starting the talks, Erdogan said: "We are saddened by the statements of the French prime minister and of President (Jacques) Chirac."

 

Chirac has not publicly commented on Turkey's EU talks since Villepin made his comments on Tuesday, but the French daily Le Figaro, quoting unnamed ministers, reported that the president had told a cabinet meeting he agreed with his prime minister.

 

Chirac's office declined to comment on the report. Chirac has traditionally backed Turkey's EU bid but now faces growing opposition among French voters to admitting the large, relatively poor, mainly Muslim country into the wealthy bloc.

 

Erdogan, in televized remarks to reporters, said Chirac had assured him in the past that he did not believe Turkey needed to recognize Cyprus before the accession talks begin.

 

"We don't want it to be like this. From now on, we are getting ready for October 3... We will start the negotiations on October 3. We think only of the negotiations," he said.

 

Villepin cast doubt on the October 3 date on Tuesday by saying Ankara must recognize the internationally accepted Greek Cypriot Government by then. Turkey recognizes only the Turkish Cypriot enclave in the north of the divided island.

 

In remarks published yesterday in Le Monde newspaper, French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said: "not wanting to recognize a country of the Union, even while wanting to enter that's not acceptable."

 

"We hope there will be a thorough discussion within the EU about this question," Douste-Blazy said. "We cannot act like it did not exist... It's a demand for clarification."

 

France can block the start of talks as can Cyprus as the 25 EU states must approve a negotiating mandate unanimously before they can begin. Villepin said France would decide its position after talks among EU foreign ministers in September.

 

Turkey cleared the last formal hurdle to the start of its entry talks last Friday by signing a protocol extending its customs union to new EU members including Cyprus.

 

But Ankara also issued a declaration making clear the signing did not mean a change in its stance on the divided island, whose Greek Cypriot Government is viewed in Brussels as the sole legitimate authority.

 

Turkey says recognition can come only after a comprehensive peace settlement on the Mediterranean island.

 

Turkey's refusal to recognize EU-member Cyprus has become a contentious issue in its bid to join the bloc.

 

(China Daily August 5, 2005)

 

Germany, France Differ over EU Enlargement
EU to Start Entry Talks with Turkey as Scheduled
New Leadership in Northern Cyprus Helps Reunification
Turkey's EU Membership Facing a Rocky Path
EU to Start Turkey's Accession Talks Next October
Parliament Calls for Entry Talks with Turkey
Turkey Threatens Not to Join EU
Cyprus to Decide on Turkey's EU Bid at Last Moment
Print This Page
|
Email This Page
About Us SiteMap Feedback
Copyright © China Internet Information Center. All Rights Reserved
E-mail: webmaster@china.org.cn Tel: 86-10-68326688