Danish PM: Turkey Like Other EU Seekers

Earlier this week, EU members France and Germany said they planned to use next week’s summit in Copenhagen, Denmark, to propose a schedule for Turkey that would allow membership talks to begin in July 2005.

Rasmussen flatly rejected that idea, telling Welt am Sonntag, "No date will be given in Copenhagen."

The German and French proposal also was criticized by Turkish leaders, who said 2005 was too far away for a nation that has demonstrated a strong desire to join the EU.

Turkey long has been a key member of NATO because of its strategic location near the Middle East and the former Soviet Union.

But Turkey’s efforts to join the EU have lagged, partly because of concerns about its human rights record. Some European leaders have angered Turkish officials by portraying the EU as a club of Christian nations ill-suited to integrating a secular Muslim country.

The United States strongly supports Turkey’s bid, but many EU governments want Turkey to carry out further democratic reforms.

To meet EU norms, Turkey in August granted language rights to minorities and abolished the death penalty.

In February, after a severe financial crisis, Turkey embarked on economic reforms backed by a massive International Monetary Fund aid package.