THE HAGUE - Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that failure in not setting a date for Turkey to start full membership negotiations in December 2004 would lead to a result on Turkish people beyond disappointment.
Erdogan and Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende held a joint news conference following tete-a-tete meetings and talks between the delegations of the two countries.
Erdogan said the talks were very fruitful.
Recalling that the Netherlands would take over EU Term Presidency on July 1, Erdogan said he would proceed to Brussels from the Netherlands and join Brussels Summit there.
Erdogan said December 2004 was very important for Turkey, and noted that, ''December 2004 is not the date for full membership. It is the date when the decision regarding Turkey's full membership negotiation process would be taken. From time to time there are misunderstandings here. Turkey made all the legal and constitutional changes regarding adjustment with political will and in cooperation with the opposition.''
''Now that Turkey takes steps towards putting those reforms into practice. We are determined to fulfill them to a great extend till December 2004. All of them can not be completed. Even the countries, who are full members of the EU, have not met all the principles required by the EU regulation. You will make a mentality change. It is not easy,'' Erdogan noted.
Erdogan said, ''our primary resolution is that Turkey has decided to take place within the EU family. 75 percent of Turkish people supported this. We consider Copenhagen criteria as necessary to upgrade the living standards of our people.''
Erdogan said there were already four million Turkish people within the EU and that 350 thousand of them were in the Netherlands, ''those people celebrate 40th anniversary of their coming to the Netherlands,'' he said.
Prime Minister Erdogan emphasized that progress report that would be announced on October 6 was important, and noted that, ''undoubtedly term presidents should be objective. Turkey's inclusion to this family will be easier if this objectivity turns to positive.''
Erdogan wished success to the Netherlands in its term presidency and wanted the EU to be an address to meeting of civilizations, and a whole of values.
When a Dutch journalist reminded the statements of Turkey's Ambassador to The Hague Tacan Ildem that, ''Turkey can not accept if a negative decision is issued in December regarding the date to start full membership negotiations. We will consider this a discrimination'' and asked Erdogan's evaluations, he said, ''I even do not want to consider such a negative decision because such a decision will lead to a result on Turkish people beyond disappointment. I should clearly express that Turkey has been waiting at this door for 41 years. Turkey has taken steps required by the EU acquisition more than the EU member countries. I think both the report that will be announced on October 6 and the decision that will be taken in December 2004 will take all those into consideration.''
When a Dutch journalist claimed that many things changed in Turkey but that according to the human rights reports there were still things that should be done, Erdogan wanted an example to be given.
Upon this the journalist said the conditions in prisons should be improved and that attitude of police toward people were harsh.
Erdogan stressed that rehabilitation of prisons in Turkey were about to reach western standards.
''As to attitude of our police, I am clearly stating that they act with tolerance to people more than police of many EU member countries. Reports may have been prepared with misunderstandings,'' Erdogan pointed out.
(AY-AÖ) 16.06.2004