Cyprus Issue Vital for Turkeys EU Membership

During a visit to the Adana Chamber of Commerce (ATO), Hans Jorg Kretschmer, the representative of the European Commission to Turkey, talked about "Turkey's membership and European Union (EU) policies."

"The EU is an establishment above all nations," said Kretschmer. "The members should implement all embraced decision without any reservations."

ATO head Saban Bas said they were carrying out efforts to inform not only the members of the chamber, but also the people of the region about the EU.

Kretschmer said the retrial of Leyla Zana and her friends due to the decision of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), and the Cyprus problem constituted excuses for those who are against Turkey.

Kretschmer reminded the fact that the EU included the Cyprus problem in its annual progress report about Turkey. He said Cyprus was not a political criterion but nevertheless, it was evaluated as a political issue. Kretschmer said:

* Cyprus will join the EU on May 1, 2004. Turkey should determine its stance taking the reality of Cyprus' membership into account.

* This issue will definitely be evaluated during membership negotiations. If not, there would be a situation where a candidate country does not recognize one of the members.

Kretschmer said the progress report included reforms recently approved by Turkey and emphasized that membership negotiations would be positively affected if these reforms were implemented.

Bas said they were happy Kretschmer's visit came at a time when EU-Turkey relations became increasingly important. He added that the chamber was carrying out efforts to inform not only its members but also the people in the region about the EU and prepare them for integration into the block.

Bas said they formed an EU Information Office within the chamber. This office has become an important center for information and documents about the EU, he said, and added that the people were determined about EU membership. (EO/EA/NM)