EU and Turkey Reach Historic Agreement
By CONSTANT BRAND

The Associated Press
12/17/04 14:11 EST

BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) – The European Union and Turkey reached a
historic agreement Friday to begin talks next year aimed at bringing
the populous Muslim nation into the EU after hammering out a compromise
over Ankara’s relationship with Cyprus.

Turkey accepted an offer from the 25 EU leaders during their two-day
summit to begin talks on Oct. 3, 2005, launching a process that could
take years and could transform the political and social landscape of
both parties.

If the talks succeed, Turkey would become the largest EU member, with
a population of 71 million – expected to grow as high as 85 million
by 2020. But its per capita income is roughly one-third of the average
of longtime EU member states, requiring far-reaching economic reforms.

Turkish membership would also add millions of citizens to the EU at a
time when many Europeans are questioning whether their countries, which
have Christian heritage, can absorb large numbers of Muslim immigrants.

Nevertheless, EU leaders hailed the agreement as a historic step,
which would expand the borders of the EU from Ireland to Iran.

“If I think back on today, I believe we can say that we have been
writing history today, and the agreement we reached today will acquire
full significance in the years ahead,” said Dutch Prime Minister Jan
Peter Balkenende, whose country holds the EU presidency.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair said the decision to accept Turkish
membership shows “that those who believe there is a fundamental clash
of civilizations between Christians and Muslims are actually wrong;
that they can work together; that we can cooperate together.”

During the summit, EU leaders also agreed to start entry talks with
Croatia next March if it hands over an indicted war crimes suspect
to the international tribunal in The Hague.

The leaders also formally closed membership talks with Romania and
Bulgaria, paving the way for them to join in 2007.

But the main attention fell on Turkey. Despite widespread public
misgivings about Turkish membership, the leaders agreed Thursday to
offer Ankara accession talks.

But the deal nearly fell apart because of an EU requirement that
Turkey initial an agreement Friday expanding its customs union with
the EU to include Cyprus and nine other members that joined in May. The
agreement would have to be signed by October.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan balked at the requirement,
which EU diplomats said amounted to tactic recognition of the Greek
Cypriot government.

Turkey invaded Cyprus in 1974 to block a coup by Greek Cypriots,
and decades of diplomacy have failed to reunite the Mediterranean
island. About 40,000 Turkish troops remain in northern Cyprus, which
is controlled by Turkish Cypriots.

After hours of intensive negotiations, the EU agreed to accept a
statement from Erdogan that he would sign the customs agreement before
the talks start and that the move would not constitute recognition
of Cyprus.

“This is a win-win agreement,” Erdogan said. “We’re at a point where
we reaping the reward of 41 years of work. The process from now on
will be even more difficult … but I strongly believe Turkey will
be able to achieve this.”

EU officials said the talks would be open-ended and without a guarantee
of eventual EU membership.

Nevertheless, the admission of Turkey to the EU is still strongly
opposed in several EU countries, whose citizens fear an influx of
culturally different migrants who would compete for jobs.

French President Jacques Chirac, who has promised a referendum on
Turkish membership if the talks succeed, said the Turks would have to
it would have to accept the mass killings of Armenians in the early
20th century.

Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel said he would also call a
referendum because bringing a Muslim country into the EU “must not
be decided in an ivory tower … We cannot be indifferent about
public opinion.”

Supporters of Turkey’s entry maintain that the country could be a
bridge between Europe and the Middle East and stand as an example of
a democratic state with Islamic traditions. Turkey, a longtime NATO
member, has been legally secular since the collapse of the Ottoman
Empire after World War I.

Associated Press correspondents Suzan Fraser, Raf Casert, Art Max
and Robert Wielaard contributed to this report.