ANKARA - Turkish Foreign Minister & Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul said that it was impossible for Greek Cypriots to hinder Turkey's accession to the European Union (EU).
Appearing on private SKY Turk tv channel late on Friday, Gul said that Cyprus issue would not be a hindrance in front of Turkey's possible membership at the EU Summit to be held on December 17th.
When asked how entry negotiations would function, Gul said that a technical delegation would carry out negotiations, stating that there were 31 issues which were very important for Turkey.
Replying to a question on the north of Iraq, Gul said that Iraqi Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) leader Masoud Barzani would arrive in Turkey on Monday. He stated that Kirkuk issue would be taken up during Barzani's visit, adding that Barzani and he would discuss threats against bringing stability and peace to Iraq and some other issues.
Answering a question on progress report's not mentioning headscarf issue, Gul noted that ban on wearing headscarf was a ban which was not included in EU human rights standards, stating that he had no doubt that this ban would be lifted in Turkey when the right time came. Gul said that the report said that there should be respect to choices of individuals, adding, ''critical threshold was overcome in Turkey.''
(EÖ-BRC) 09.10.2004