Road to Turkey’s EU membership clear

Economic reforms implemented to harmonize with the Copenhagen criteria had received praise, said FM Gul. He noted that in the latest progress report, it was stated that if the Cyprus issue was not resolved, Turkey could not become a member of EU, adding that this statement had been altered in the summit declaration, due to Turkish objections, to say that a resolution of the Cyprus issue would greatly enhance Turkey’s EU membership process.

Gul said that preparations for a solution on the island before May 1, 2004 were underway in both Turkey and Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC) and these would bring the issue to closer to a resolution.

Gul said no matter which party won in the KKTC, Turkish Parliament would have the last say, noting that Turkey was a guarantor power and none of the parties in the KKTC could act independently of Turkey.

Gul said a new era was dawning in Iraq with the capture of Saddam Hussein, and there was nothing to stop Iraq from rapidly developing. He warned that a breakup of Iraq would have a destabilizing affect on the region, asking regional leaders not to ruin the country as Saddam had done.

He said Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to the United States in late January would involve discussions on the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK/KADEK) and economic cooperation. He said relations between the U.S. and Turkey were based on a sound foundation, noting that Turkish firms had been invited to participate in Iraq reconstruction projects.