Roche: E.U. Ready To Start Membership Negotiations With Turkey If Turkey Meets Copenhagen Criteria

BRUSSELS - Irish Minister of State for European Affairs Dick Roche said that European Union (EU) was ready to start membership negotiations with Turkey, if Turkey met Copenhagen criteria.
Roche delivered a speech in ''Turkey's European Union (EU) End-Game?'' conference organized by think tank ''Friends of Europe'', the Union of Turkish Chambers of Commodity Exchanges (TOBB), the Turkish Exporters' Assembly (TIM) and Istanbul Textile and Ready-to-Wear Clothing Exporters Union (ITKIB) in Brussels.
Recalling that a decision on the issue was earlier made, Roche noted that they made a promise and wanted to keep their promise.
Roche said that reforms that Turkish parliament fulfilled on human rights and democracy impressed them. Roche added that the decision that they would take on starting membership negotiations with Turkey would be fair, transparent and neutral.
(EÖ-AÖ) 17.06.2004