EU CALLS FOR ENLARGEMENT PAUSE AFTER ENTRY OF BULGARIA AND ROMANIA

Islamic Republic News Agency, Iran
Sept 25 2006

Turkey’s aspirations to join the European Union looked very gloomy
Monday after the head of the European Union’s executive said the
European bloc cannot integrate more members after Bulgaria and Romania
and before institutional reforms.

"After the enlargement of Romania and Bulgaria it seems to us that we
are not in a position to integrate new member states without prior
institutional reform," President of the European Commission Jose
Manuel Barroso told a press conference in Brussels this afternoon.

The European Commission is set to say Bulgaria and Romania may join
the EU in January 2007 in a report to be published on Tuesday.

"There is no formal decision but as the president of the European
Commission I think it would be unwise to bring in other member states
apart from Bulgaria and Romania, which will be joining us soon,
before we have sorted out the institutional question," he said.

The European Parliament is to debate its report on Turkey’s EU
membership on Tuesday. The report demands Turkey recognize the
‘Armenian massacre’ before it can join the European bloc.

On Croatia, another EU candidate country, Barroso said, "Of course
I would like Croatia to join as quickly as possible if it fulfills
all the criteria."