BRUSSELS, Dec 8 (AFP) - US Secretary of State Colin Powell said Wednesday that Turkey has done a "very good job" of meeting European concerns over its suitability for EU membership.
Powell stopped short of urging EU leaders to set a date for Turkish entry negotiations when they meet later this month at a summit here, saying it was not for him to suggest any such action, but added that he would be pleased if the bloc gave the go-ahead for accession talks with Ankara.
"This, of course, is a matter for the European Union to decide, so it would not be appropriate for me to say what the European Union should do," he said in remarks to the German Marshall Fund ahead of EU-US talks on Friday.
"But when I take a look ... at how far Turkey has moved and progressed and how it has tried to deal with the fundamental concerns that have been expressed by some in Europe about whether Turkey is ready to begin the process of admission, it seems to me that Turkey has done a very good job," Powell said.
"So I would respond very positively on the 17th of December if the European Union came to that conclusion," he said.
At the summit, EU leaders are expected to decide in favor of opening entry talks with Ankara, but set out a series of strict conditions, warning that the process will take at least a decade and is not guaranteed to result in membership.
The European Union had laid down a set of human rights and democracy criteria for Turkey to meet before accession talks could begin. Ankara argues that it has met most of the criteria.
The United States has long supported NATO ally Turkey's entry into the European Union despite criticism from some EU members that its stance was interference in the bloc's affairs.
12/08/2004 15:14 GMT - AFP