Gul: 2003 progress report is objective

Upon questions of journalists on Thursday, Foreign Minister Gul said that the report was like they expected, adding that they found the report objective.

Noting that the report particularly referred to the shortcomings in practice, Gul said that they were aware of those shortcomings and they founded the Reform Follow-up Group to this end.

Gul added that the Reform Follow-up Group would continue its studies regularly.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan also said that the assessments saying that Turkey was slow in implementing the reforms undertaken in its EU membership process were just unconvincing excuses.

Responding to questions of journalists at Esenboga Airport asking if implementation of reforms in EU process was slow, Erdogan said that "there are two important titles concerning the EU process. One of them is adjustment, and the second one is practice. We took the steps which had to be taken about adjustment till today. The steps regarding practice are not only the things that will be done until December, 2004. They are related to the negotiation process. It can start before getting a date for negotiations and it can continue within the negotiation process. Turkey started implementing the reforms. We will further speed them up in 2004. Hopefully membership status will be given to Turkey when a negotiation date is taken in December 2004 and by completion of the practices within that process. Now they talk about the implementation in this or that way, such kind of things are just unconvincing excuses."