We Succeeded but Are Not Flying
At a press conference after the Brussels summit, P.M. Erdogan said that "The objective is full membership."
Upon a question, he said that "I can not say we succeeded hundred percent but I am saying that we succeeded."
He told journalists at the Conrad hotel that "A calendar has started to begin the engotiating process. This has been confirmed without causing any hesitation. There is no hesitation either, about a new date for another negotiation. But the process aheadwill be tough and obstacle-loaded. But turkey will overcome these with its interactive human poteential. We are at a point where we are enjoying the fruits of a 41-year-long effort. "
NO RECOGNITION TO CYPRUS
Erdogan said that "By considering the 25-membeer structure of EU, wee proposed to expand the procedure on Cyprus and the signing of the adaaaptation protocol at the end of an agreement is in no way a recognition; I had recorded this down to the minutes.Term President Balkanende also announced that this was not a recognition."
SAFE GUARDS RELAXEED
On permanent safe guards, Erdogan said that "These will be implemented when the parties deem them necessary. But the sides agreed that, it may not be necessary to use them."
Asked whether Turkey has succeeded, Erdogan said that "The understanding here is win-win. If we say that we got hundred percent of what we wanted, that will be exaggeration. But we have suucceeded."
When a Danish journalist said that "This date is also a blind date wiith a girl you do not knoooow and she is Cyprus" Erdogan said "We know each other for a long time and have very good relations."
BRUSSELS-ANKARA
As the repoorter of Ozgur Gundem daily askeed to Erdogan about the "Expectations of the Turkish citizens in the Brussels-Ankara-Diyarbakir" line, Erdogan said that "We do not have such a different line. We have only an Ankara-Brussels line. And the 72 million citizens of the Turkiish Republiic are equally precious for us. " Businessmen and others applauded these words of Erdogan strongly.
