BRUSSELS, Dec 7 (AFP) - The European Union (EU) must be sure it has the "capacity to absorb" Turkey before it can decide to admit the vast Muslim country, according to the latest draft Tuesday of conclusions of a crunch summit next week.
The importance of such a condition is underlined in a new clause in the latest version of the negotiated text, being prepared ahead of the December 16-17 EU summit in Brussels and leaked to AFP.
The EU is expected to give a green light for Ankara to start entry talks next week, but set out a series of tough conditions and warn that the process will take at least a decade is not "guaranteed" to result in EU membership.
The latest EU draft says: "The Union's capacity to absorb new members, while maintaining the momentum of EU integration, is ... an important consideration in the general interest of both the EU and the candidate countries."
The clause does not amount to a new condition, since the EU leaders recall that such a paragraph is included in previously-agreed conclusions, according to the draft prepared by the EU's Dutch presidency.
The latest version, to be discussed again by ambassadors from the EU's 25 member states this week, also underlines the need for the European Commission to monitor reforms by Turkey if it wins a green light to start entry talks.
"To ensure the irreversibility of the political reform process and its full implementation ... that process will continue to be closely monitored by the commission," said the draft.
It also explictly singled out torture among key points of concern.
The Commission should report regularly to EU governments on "all identified points of concern, including the implementation of the zero tolerance policy relating to torture and ill treatments," said the draft.
12/07/2004 14:34 GMT - AFP