TURKEY: LEADERS OF ELECTION WINNER AND OPPOSITION PARTY SAY THEY WILL COOPERATE ON PASSING REFORMS NEEDED TO ADVANCE THE EU HOPEFULS MEMBERSHIP BID

Record ID: 584822

  • Title: TURKEY: LEADERS OF ELECTION WINNER AND OPPOSITION PARTY SAY THEY WILL COOPERATE ON PASSING REFORMS NEEDED TO ADVANCE THE EU HOPEFULS MEMBERSHIP BID
  • Date: 6th November 2002
  • Summary: (EU) ANKARA, TURKEY (NOVEMBER 5, 2002) (REUTERS) 1. MV CHP LEADER BAYKAL ARRIVING AT AKP HEADQUARTERS IN ANKARA; SLV MEDIA (2 SHOTS) 0.13 MV AT NEWS CONFERENCE 0.19 2. SOUNDBITE (Turkish), AKP LEADER TAYYIP ERDOGAN SAYING: "Thirty-nine days left until the summit. We will take the necessary steps together with the CHP before the summit." 3. SLV MEDIA 0.35 3. MV MEDIA 0.39 4. SOUNDBITE, (Turkish), CHP LEADER DENIZ BAYKAL SAYING: "We will be in co-ordination at the process of democratisation in parliament. We will talk about this and have additions in processes. At the EU issue we have clear and common understandings with AKP. Turkey have right to a get a accession date. We try to convince European Union members for this." 1.05 5. SLV MEDIA (2 SHOTS) 1.14 6. SOUNDBITE, (Turkish), CHP LEADER DENIZ BAYKAL SAYING: "We talked also about Cyprus. Our views on the Cyprus issue are parallel." 1.20 7. MV END OF PRESS CONFERENCE 1.32 7. SOUNDBITE (Turkish), YASAR YAKIS, DEPUTY AKP HEAD WITH RESPONSIBILITY FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS SAYING "The single identity could be based on equality of sovereignty or political equality, these are two terms that can be expressed with slight nuances. We think it must be based at the least on political equality. The 1960 constitution already recognises political equality for both communities." 1.59 8. SLV MEDIA 2.04 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 21st November 2002 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: ANKARA, TURKEY
  • Country: Turkey
  • Reuters ID: LVA61QGXYGJWFFB2T2O62Q8NJEE5
  • Story Text: The leaders of Turkey's election winner and
    opposition party have said they would cooperate on passing
    reforms needed to advance the European Union hopefuls
    membership bid.

    Turkey's election winner and opposition party said on
    Tuesday (November 5) they would cooperate on passing reforms
    needed to advance the country's European Union membership bid.

    Turkey has been pressing the affluent bloc for a date to
    launch membership talks, but Brussels has said the Muslim
    nation must first implement sweeping political reforms before
    it can sit at the negotiating table.

    Crisis-hit financial markets have been cheered by pledges
    from conservative poll winner the Justice and Development
    Party (AKP), which has ties to two previously outlawed
    Islamist parties, that it will drive forward the sagging EU
    bid.

    The left-wing Republican Peoples Party (CHP) was the only
    other party to clear a 10 percent vote threshold to enter
    parliament in Sunday's general election.

    AKP leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who cannot become Prime
    Minister because of a previous jail sentence for inciting
    religious hatred, met with CHP chief Deniz Baykal to discuss
    Turkey's prospects ahead of an EU summit in December.

    "We will take the necessary steps together with the CHP
    before the summit," Erdogan told reporters.

    "We are going to act in a serious and co-ordinated way on
    the issue of a negotiations date for Turkey. Our goal is to be
    given (a date) at the December 12 Copenhagen summit," he said.

    The election has delayed implementation of a series of
    rights reforms passed in August. The E.U. has said Turkey must
    still go further to fulfil all of the political criteria.

    It also expects more progress on the divided island of
    Cyprus where peace talks between ethnic Greeks and Turks have
    made little headway.

    Only Turkey recognises the self-declared Turkish Cypriot
    administration, where it garrisons 30,000 troops after
    invading in 1974 in response to a Greek Cypriot coup.

    Our views on the Cyprus issue are parallel, Baykal said, but
    did not elaborate.

    But an brief explanation of the AKP model on Cypus came from
    Yasar Yakis, deputy AKP head with reponsibility for foreign
    affairs.

    "The single identity could be based on equality of
    sovereignty or political equality, these are two terms that
    can be expressed with slight nuances. We think it must be
    based at the least on political equality. The 1960
    constitution
    already recognises political equality for both communities,"
    says Yakis.

    Ankara supports Turkish Cypriots push for a confederation
    of two loosely linked states on the island, while the Greek
    side wants a stronger central administration.


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