The Hellenic Radio
Sept 30 2005

No Agreement at COREPER Deadlock over Turkey
29 Sep 2005 13:36:00
By Vagelis Theodorou

The EUs Permanent Representatives failed yet again to agree on a
negotiating mandate to open accession talks between Turkey and the
European Union. According to diplomatic sources, Austria stuck to
demands that Turkey be offered an explicit alternative to full
membership. The matter will be discussed anew during an emergency
meeting between the EUs Foreign Misters scheduled for Sunday night in
Luxemburg, since a negotiating framework is necessary for accession
talks to commence on 3 October. In the meantime, in Athens, intense
disputes erupted between the Government and the Opposition during the
National Council for Foreign Policy meeting, which lasted for three
hours and where Turkeys accession prospect was discussed in detail.
Furthermore, the Greek Foreign Ministrys, spokesperson, Giorgos
Koumoutsakos, stressed that the Greek stance can be summed up as,
“full implementation of the criteria, full membership in the EU.” At
the same time, the tension in Ankara continues, especially after the
European Parliaments decision last night, whereby it asked Turkey to
recognise Cyprus and the Armenian genocide. In an announcement, the
Turkish Foreign Ministry voiced its disappointment over the demand to
recognise the Armenian genocide, claiming that the matter has to be
settled by historians. In the meantime, the citizens of Turkey appear
less enthusiastic over the prospect of their country acceding in the
EU. As per a survey conducted by German Marshall Fund, the percentage
of Turks who considered Turkeys accession as a positive development
was 63%, dropping by ten percentile units compared to last year.

Translated by Vicky Ghionis