Turkey Hopes for a 2005 Start in Negotiations

November 27, 2004 admin-dominor

Gul stressed yesterday that he does not think European Union (EU) leaders will delay negotiations until 2006.

The Minister reported that there is no final decision yet and that both the EU and Turkey mutually seek the sensitivity to implement these decisions.

Cyprus is not a negotiation condition

Gul said that Cyprus is not a condition for negotiations. "Turkey and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) met their prerequisites. The EU should do the same."

The Union does not want to deal with this issue; hence, it wishes for an enlargement with a resolved dispute. "Unfortunately, because of the Greek decision to say ‘no’, the issue remains unsolved and the EU is now dragged into the problem."