BRUSSELS - Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said on Thursday that the government expected the new reform package on democratization to be passed from the parliament in the possible shortest time.
Gul, who is in Brussels for the meeting of the European Convention, met with European Union (EU) Commissioner for enlargement Guenter Verheugen.
Following the meeting, Gul told reporters that the government was determined to fulfil the Copenhagen criteria.
Gul said that they would work to pass the newly-prepared democratization package from the parliament before the summer recess and the government would continue necessary efforts to start full membership negotiations in the possible shortest time.
Verheugen said that they were appreciating reform works in Turkey and noted that the government was taking encouraging steps related with democratization and had a strong will to make reforms.
When he was reminded about the news that Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi made a statement during his visit to Istanbul that ''Turkey could become an EU member in 2007'', Verheugen said that this was ''interesting, a surprise and too ambitious.''
Noting that they were witnessing important developments in Cyprus, Verheugen said that they expected positive developments to continue.
Gul pointed out that Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) was taking significant and encouraging steps for the solution of the issue and stated that Turkey was supporting those steps.
Replying to a question saying that army and civil bureaucracy in Turkey were against reforms, Gul said that political will was responsible for implementation in Turkey.
Gul will attend a conference on Turkey's EU membership process organized by Conrad Adenauer Foundation, as speaker this evening.
(BRC-AÖ) 15.05.2003