Turkey vows reform after EU rebuff

Turkey’s PM Abdullah Gul, whose new Islamist-rooted government had lobbied hard — with strong support from Washington — for negotiations to start next year, accused the European leaders of prejudice.

He later softened his tone. "We will continue with the reforms, not for the EU, but for our citizens who deserve them," The Associated Press quoted Gul as saying. (Turks frustrated)

"Yesterday’s decision was a step forward for Turkey, and we assess it as a closer approach to the EU," Deputy Prime Minister Abdullatif Sener said on Saturday.

"The glass is not half empty. We need to look at the full half," Sener told a conference at the alpine resort of Abant.

The deal at the EU summit in Copenhagen clears the way for Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Malta, and Cyprus to join the 15-member union in May 2004.

The decision to add 10 new members to the present 15 came at the end of an intense two-day summit and means that the EU’s population will grow 20 percent to 450 million people.

"Europe is spreading its wings in freedom, in prosperity and in peace. This is a truly proud moment for the European Union," Danish Prime Minister, the summit host, said in an emotional final speech at the Copenhagen summit.

Speaking after Friday’s deal, Romano Prodi, President of the European Commission, said: "Accession of 10 new member states will bring an end to the divisions in Europe.

"For the first time in history Europe will become one because unification is the free will of its people."

The breakthrough came after Poland, by far the biggest of the candidate states negotiating their entry, agreed a deal with the Danish EU presidency. Jubilant Polish leaders held an all-night party well into Saturday to celebrate.(Polish triumph)
Under the timetable, the European Council will look through Turkey’s human rights record and political structures in two years "on the basis of the same criteria as applied to the other candidate states."

If Turkey passes muster two years from now, talks about its entry into the European Union could go to the next level, including the setting of a date for formal talks about the Muslim nation’s entry to the European Union, diplomats say.

The United States had asked the EU to set a quicker timetable for Turkey, a NATO member and an important strategic ally, especially regarding the possible conflict with Iraq.

Faruk Logoglu, the Turkish ambassador to the United States, said the decision "will be perceived as a letdown" by Turks and called the move a "delayed opportunity" and a "missed opportunity" on the part of the European Union.

"We were expecting something better from the European Union, but at least they have made a firm, commitment to embrace Turkey as member, and that is a good outcome in that sense."

No breakthrough on Cyprus
Talks on the other remaining issue, Cyprus, failed on Friday afternoon. (Full story)

Greek Cypriot Attorney General Alecos Markides said the United Nations had advised him it was impossible to negotiate a Cyprus peace deal during the summit.

EU leaders had been hoping that Greek and Turkish Cypriots at meetings on the fringes of the Copenhagen summit would agree on a U.N.-proposed plan to reunite the island.

But Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash was not at the summit due to ill health and he accused the 15-nation EU of using threats to find a solution.

Cyprus will take its place in the EU represented by the Greek Cypriot side only.