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| Europe |
| Spain conditions TurkeyŽs EU membership |
| 2009-04-06 |
| [Iran Press TV Latest] Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero conditions his country's full backing for Turkey's membership in the European Union bloc. Zapatero, at a joint news conference with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday in Istanbul said that his government would fight in Turkey's favor during Spain's 2010 EU Presidency, on condition it complied with the prerequisites set by the bloc. "Spain's position is firm, clear and conclusive. And that is how it will remain. We understand that Turkey has to comply in the process, in the same way all the other candidate countries once had to comply. But it will have the doors open by complying with prerequisites demanded by the EU. So that eventually it can be incorporated into the peace and collaboration project, that is the EU," he said. Erdogan for his part thanked Spain's support and said that US President Barack Obama's earlier backing at the Prague summit on Sunday was very important to his government: "It means a lot for us." Turkish entry talks with the EU have been held up by European concerns over human rights, a perceived lack of progress on reforms, and by a long territorial dispute with EU member Cyprus. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #4 Spain could always insist that Turkey have mandatory life sentences for those who carry out honor killings. That oughta keep Turkey out permanently. |
| Posted by: Jules187 2009-04-06 19:26 |
| #3 I still remember Turkey's refusal to allow U.S. troops to pass through their country at the outset of Desert Storm. Screw 'em. |
| Posted by: Ebbang Uluque6305 2009-04-06 11:51 |
| #2 1) The Turks couldn't get themselves in during an economic boom. They aren't getting in after the boom. 2) Meeting current EU human rights criteria is going to be increasingly difficult as Turkey becomes more Islamic. 3) Pretty funny Obama pushing the Euros to integrate Turkey after promising the U.S. to back out of commitments to Mexico. |
| Posted by: DoDo 2009-04-06 10:42 |
| #1 Like EU not sick enough. |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2009-04-06 01:31 |