EU Industry Commissioner Olli Rehn told a Greens parliamentary meeting in Istanbul that European leaders intended to honor their commitment on Türkiye's accession bid. The European Commission had declared earlier in October that Ankara met its democracy standards, recommending formal membership talks with conditions Rehn said matched those used in earlier enlargement rounds.
A Brussels summit on 17 December 2004 was set to decide whether to open negotiations. German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer, also attending the session, described the Commission's conditions as mild and called for a unanimous yes vote in December.
Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gül reaffirmed Ankara's commitment to reform regardless of the December outcome and rejected any proposal for a special membership status short of full accession. He noted that Türkiye already held a Customs Union arrangement with the EU and that full membership remained the only goal Ankara recognized.
The Greens, formerly among the sharpest critics of Türkiye's EU bid, opened the three-day Istanbul meeting as the bloc's most vocal supporters, opposing any plans for national referendums on Ankara's admission.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this AFP wire report, first published in October 2004, in its own words.