Turkey’s FM Gul Demands More EU Resources

Gul demanded the EU provide more resources for Turkey. Speaking at a meeting on the subject of "Strategic Leadership in the EU Process" organized by the World Bank and the Turkish Foreign Ministry, Gul said on Wednesday (March 30) that the government had reached the final process of the structuring studies that will handle the EU negotiations and added, to benefit the current structures rather than forming new units and staff. Noting that the bureaucracy would under take crucial tasks, the Foreign Minister went on to say: "The key role regarding undertaking, adopting and implementing the acquis communitaire will rest with the related ministries and institutions during the negotiations. We will be on the side of bureaucracy in this difficult process." Gul also demanded the EU increase its financial and technical aid in the process. Voicing his expectation that the EU should provide aid at the same level as it did for the other candidates, Gul said: "We want to believe that while the EU demands us to undertake and adopt the acquis communitaire absolutely, on the one hand, it must also treat us equally in line with the other candidates by being sensitive to our needs and provide the necessary resources."