EU FAILS TO AGREE ON TURKEY
Islamic Republic News Agency, Iran
Brussels, Sept 29, IRNA
European Union ambassadors meeting here Thursday failed to agree on
a negotiating framework with Turkey.
A spokesperson for the European Commission, Krisztina Nagy, told
reporters that discussions on Turkey will continue till the last
moment.
According to media reports, EU foreign ministers will hold an emergency
meeting in Luxembourg on Sunday to resolve the deadlock over Turkey’s
membership bid.
EU and Turkey are expected to begin accession negotiations on Monday
in Luxembourg.
The EU deadlock follows Austria’s insistence that Turkey be offered
a special partnership with the EU as alternative to full membership.
Turkey says it will not accept anything less than full membership.
Austria is also calling for membership negotiations with Croatia to
begin simultaneously on October 3.
“Those two issues from the Commission’s point of view are not linked.
Each country will be dealt with on its own merits,” said the Commission
spokesperson.
On Wednesday, the European Parliament passed a resolution calling
on Turkey to “recognize the Genocide of the Armenians,” and said it
considers this act a “prerequisite to accession to the European Union.”