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Boost to Turkey's E.U. hopes

By Batuk Gathani

BRUSSELS, FEB. 28. The prospects of Turkey's membership of the European Union has received a boost after the recent visit of the German Chancellor, Gerhard Schroeder, to Ankara. The visit followed Turkey's initiative on the United Nations-brokered talks over `re-unification' of Cyprus. A united Cyprus will become a full E.U. member on May 1. It is in this background that the European Commission is backing Turkey's bid to start negotiations on its membership. The Europeans have often been wary of admitting Turkey. The former French President, Giscard d'Estaing, who presided over the drafting the E.U. Constitution, said Turkey `would not fit' in the ethnic, religious and cultural parameters of the E.U.

Pro-Turkey officials have argued that the E.U. is not a Christian bloc but a secular grouping of nations and that Turkey is a secular country with strong European values. Turkey has also embarked on an ambitious reform programme to buttress its claim like governance by rule of law sustained by multi-party democracy.

Today, European officials are "fairly optimistic" about the Turkish progress in this direction. There was initially a plan to offer Turkey an "associate membership" status but a European Commission official said there was no question of the so-called "plan B" and that full membership negotiations should start immediately.

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