CHANCELLOR MERKEL’S CONSERVATIVES HAVE AGREED NOT TO RULE OUT TURKISH MEMBERSHIP IN THE EU

PanARMENIAN.Net
15.10.2009 19:18 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives
and the Free Democrats (FDP) have agreed not to rule out Turkish
membership in the European Union in their coalition agreement,
sources from both camps said on Thursday.

The compromise between the centre-right parties that won a
parliamentary majority in last month’s German election represents
a defeat for Merkel’s Bavarian allies, the Christian Social Union
(CSU), the staunchest opponents of the Turkish bid.

The sources said the deal between the parties was likely to contain
language similar to that included in Merkel’s 2005 coalition agreement
with the Social Democrats (SPD).

In that document, the parties said: "If the EU is not in a position
to take on new members or Turkey cannot fully meet all the criteria
necessary for membership, Turkey must be bound closely to European
structures in a way that allows its privileged relationship with the
EU to develop further".

The EU unanimously agreed to open official accession talks with
Turkey in 2005, shortly before Merkel took office. Her conservative
bloc opposes the bid and she has said repeatedly that Ankara should be
offered a "privileged partnership" that stops short of full membership,
Reuters reported.