The New Anatolian, Turkey
Oct 28 2006
Linden: I don’t expect Cyprus crisis this year
Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) President Rene van
der Linden said on Friday that he does not expect a major crisis in
Turkey’s European Union process late this year over the Cyprus
problem.
"Turkey has the right to become a member of the EU, and it has to be.
It is important to maintain the EU perspective," Linden was quoted as
saying by the Anatolia news agency during his press conference at
Istanbul’s Crowne Plaza Hotel. The PACE head underlined that it was
not only in Turkey’s but also Europe’s interest to continue the
reform process during the EU accession talks. Stressing that the EU
membership process is a long road, Van der Linden argued that not
only Turkey but also the EU’s mentality will change during that time.
Van der Linden also cited his displeasure on the resolution passed by
the France’s lower house of Parliament to make questioning Armenian
genocide claims a crime. "I’m against this resolution, and I hope
that the Senate will not pass it," he said.
The PACE head also underlined that Armenian genocide claims should be
left to historians and should never become a condition in Turkey’s EU
process.
The EU and Van der Linden’s Council of Europe (CoE) are separate
institutions.