Gul: We Have Reached End Of Our 50-year Walk Towards E.U.

ANKARA - Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul said on Tuesday that Turkey had reached the end of its 50-year walk towards European Union (EU).
Addressing Justice and Development Party (AK Party) meeting in parliament, Gul said that significant developments were recorded in foreign policy and pointed out that Turkey had become an important country gradually in international arena.
Gul noted that Turkey would host some important meetings in the following year.
Heads of state and government of 46 countries would come to Turkey, which would host NATO Summit in 2004, Gul stated.
Gul emphasized that hosting that meeting would be a great prestige for Turkey.
Turkey would also hold the meeting of foreign ministers of Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) and host ministers of 63 countries, Gul said.
Gul noted that ''Turkey had become a country serving world peace the most'' and pointed out that Turkey had launched initiatives to take place in the United Nations (U.N.) Security Council in coming years.
''Turkey is not being isolated in the world, on the contrary, it is becoming the center of interest of the world,'' Gul said.
Gul stated that heads of state and government of almost a few countries were visiting Turkey every month and he and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan were holding meetings abroad.
Touching on his visit to Britain, Gul said that they decided to hold a summit between Turkey and Britain every year.
Gul pointed out that they would fulfil their responsibilities to turn the cease-fire between Israel and Palestine into a lasting peace.
Touching on relations between Turkey and the EU, Gul said that stance of AK Party was certain since it came to power.
Gul stated that ''their views about the EU were obvious'' and stressed that they had launched initiatives on the road to EU full membership since they came to power.
Way to modernize Turkey and bring it to the level of contemporary civilizations passed from the EU, Gul noted.
Gul said that serious efforts had been launched and radical reforms were put into practice to reach that target.
Fourth, fifth, and sixth EU adjustment packages were legalized by their government, Gul noted.
Gul stated that Turkey had made several arrangements for not only its own people but also to fulfil Copenhagen political criteria.
''Turkey continues to walk on this road. We have reached the end of our 50-year walk towards EU. Turkey has entered a critical process,'' Gul said.
Recalling that elections in the European Parliament would be held in 2004 and new people would be elected, Gul pointed to the decision taken at Copenhagen Summit about opening of negotiations with Turkey at the end of 2004.
Gul said that they wanted to show whole Europe that Copenhagen political criteria were fulfilled with great effort and determination.
They put into practice several reform package to serve that aim, Gul stated.
Gul said, ''the end of it will be the seventh package,'' and noted that there would not be a new package.
But, he said, the EU process was continuous and amendments could be made to many laws in line with commitments made in the National Program.
Gul pointed out that amendments would be made regarding some issues concerning freedom of thought and expression in the seventh adjustment package, children's rights, associations law, law on demonstration and protest marches.
The package would also cover amendment regarding transparency of all public expenditures and its control by parliament and amendment to National Security Council (NSC) Law, Gul said.
Gul defined the planned amendments as ''requirement of being a modern society'' and said that they would not permit misunderstandings and political misuse.
Stressing that they wanted to make the amendments by discussing them with public opinion and concerned institutions and organizations, Gul said that the bill would be given final shape after learning the views of concerned circles and public.
Gul stated that some amendments were arrangements in parallel with the laws within the scope of constitutional amendments made on August 3, 2001.
''We want to make these for a freer and more modern Turkey and for a more developed democracy. The parliament is working day and night. This has never occurred in parliament's history before. All parliaments in the world are on holiday. But, the only parliament which is not on holiday and is working till midnight is the Turkish parliament,'' Gul added.
(BRC-AÖ) 15.07.2003