ARAB-EUROPEAN - Dec 16 - Turkey Offered Historic Deal To Start Talks About Joining EU.EU offers Turkey a historic deal to start talks to join the Union, putting it on course to become part of the bloc after more than 40 years of waiting. The offer was announced after the EU's 25 leaders agreed that Turkey should start membership negotiations on Oct 3 2005. They are likely to take at least 10 years to complete but for the first time Turkey can see a clear route to a European future. European Commission European Commission, branch of the governing body of the European Union (EU) invested with executive and some legislative powers. Located in Brussels, Belgium, it was founded in 1967 when the three treaty organizations comprising what was then the European Community president Jose Manuel Barroso, said: This is an offer that Turkey should be glad to accept. It shows clearly that the end goal is membership. Tonight the European Union European Union (EU), name given since the ratification (Nov., 1993) of the Treaty of European Union, or Maastricht Treaty, to the European Community has opened its doors to Turkey". Barroso's upbeat comments came after a dinner of EU leaders at a summit in Brussels, but the deal is not yet in the bag. Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said he would not sleep until he had read every word of the EU's offer. He was expected to hold further talks with the Dutch PM Jan Peter Balkenende Jan Peter Balkenende (pronounced IPA: [ˈjɑn ˈpetəɹ ˈbɑɫkənʕɛndə] listen , and current holder of the EU's presidency, in the early hours. Significant details still have to be resolved, most importantly Adv. 1. most importantly - above and beyond all other consideration; "above all, you must be independent" above all, most especially the question of whether Turkey could be subject to permanent exemptions from some EU policies, such as the free movement of labour, farm subsidies and regional aid. Balkenende also said vital questions remained about Turkey's feud feud, formalized private warfare, especially between family groups. The blood feud (see vendetta) is characteristic of those societies in which central government either has not arisen or has decayed. with Cyprus, an EU member whose existence is not formally recognised by Ankara. Further talks will be held on Dec 17, but EU diplomats were hopeful Erdogan would give a firm sign that his country will at least tacitly recognise Cyprus by extending its customs union customs union Trade agreement by which a group of countries charges a common set of tariffs to the rest of the world while allowing free trade among themselves. It is a partial form of economic integration, intermediate between free-trade zones, which allow mutual free trade to the EU's 10 new member states. Erdogan had said of his country's dispute with Cyprus: We'll do all that is needed to solve it". Barroso urged Ankara to "go the extra mile" in improving relations with Cyprus, which has a veto on Turkish membership. European leaders on Dec 16 night agreed a form of words which stressed that the aim of Turkey's accession talks would be full membership, but if that was not possible that the country "must be anchored in European structures". The wording, demanded by France, Austria and Denmark, is more ambiguous than the reference to a possible "privileged partnership Privileged partnership is the term coined by the German conservative party CDU for their model of the future relation between Turkey and the European Union, which falls short of full membership. " as an alternative to full membership proposed by the German opposition Christian Democrats. The accession of Turkey remains unpopular in some EU states, notably France. But the country is seen by Britain, Germany, Italy and Spain and also the US as a vital strategic partner for Europe. |
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