TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTER LAMENTS SLOW EU NEGOTIATION PROCESS

Anatolia news agency
Sept 16 2008
Turkey

BRUSSELS (A.A) -15.09.2008 -Turkish Foreign Minister & Chief Negotiator
for the European Union (EU) talks Ali Babacan said on Monday that
Turkish officials felt the EU took Turkey’s negotiation process slowly.

Holding a press conference in the Belgian capital of Brussels, Babacan
said he had the impression that opening two chapters to negotiation
during every new term of EU’s rotating presidency almost became
a tradition.

Babacan said Turkish Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed the
issue with French President Nicolas Sarkozy during a recent meeting
and France was currently seeking ways to open three new chapters to
negotiation during its rotating presidency of the union.

Commenting on the latest developments regarding Turkey’s "National
Programme" which would become the country’s "reference document"
in its EU membership process, Babacan said he hoped the programme
would be given its final shape before the parliament recess was over.

Regarding the relations between Turkey and Armenia, Babacan said the
Armenian government acted as if it understood Turkey’s sensitivity
on the Karabakh issue much better in the recent period.

He said assessing the problems between the two countries in a
tripartite platform that would also be attended by Azerbaijan would
facilitate the solution of the conflict.

Commenting on the situation in Cyprus as well, Babacan said,"
I believe that an open-ended process would be risky. I think it
will be beneficial to move rapidly before the current atmosphere
is destroyed. A missed opportunity may not be acquired again for
long years".