NTV MSNBC, Turkey
Feb 4 2005

We will sign Ankara Protocol: Erdogan

The Cyprus question topped the agenda of the meeting between the
Turkish Prime Minister and the speaker of the French parliament.

February 4 – Turkey will sign an official protocol that would signify
the recognition of the Greek Cypriot administration before October 3,
the date Ankara is due to open accession negotiations with the
European Union, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said
Thursday.

Signing of the expanded version of the Ankara Protocol between
Turkey and the EU is a step on Turkey’s path towards joining the
bloc. The document declares that Turkey recognises all EU members,
including those newly joined in May of last year. Among the new
members was the Greek Cypriot administration.
Speaking in a meeting with Jean Luis Debre, the speaker of the
French parliament, Erdogan said that Turkey would sign the protocol
before accession talks began.
Erdogan said that they are taking the views of legal experts
on the protocol, adding, `we are not in a rush. The signing of the
protocol bring not just political but commercial results.’
One of the issues that marked the meeting was the referendum
that France is to hold to vote on Turkey’s membership, which Debre
described was a tradition of France. Debre also asked Erdogan for his
views of secularism. The Turkish Prime Minister responded by saying
that Turkey had learned secularism from France but had made more
progress than France on the issue.
On the issue of the so-called Armenian genocide, Erdogan said
that Turkey had opened its archives but the Armenians had not.
`As new archives are opened you will see that the situation is
not like it is alleged,’ Erdogan said.
The Turkish premier asked for Debre’s help in Ankara’s efforts
to change the prejudices about Turkey in France.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said that there was
still time for the signing of the Ankara protocol. However, Gul,
speaking on his second day of his official visit to China, stressed
that in the protocol would not signify the official recognition of
the Greek Cypriot administration.