German president joins world chorus criticizing Greek Cypriots

German President Johannes Rau said yesterday that the European Union should not consider any other alternatives to Turkey’s EU membership accession talks if Ankara meets the membership criteria. In an interview with German daily Bild, Rau said that all German administrations from Helmut Kohl’s to Chancellor Gerhardt Schoeder’s have always backed the view that Turkey should start accession talks if it meets the requirements of the membership criteria. He added that the EU would be stronger when its enlargement project is completed.