ANKARA, Dec 16 (AFP) - EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said Thursday he was confident that Turkey would get a date to start membership talks at a European Union summit in Brussels.
"You will get a positive response. I have no worries on that," Solana told Turkey's NTV news channel from Brussels, in comments translated into Turkish.
He said the membership negotiations could start either next year, as Turkey demands, or later, in 2006, insisting that the timing should not change the significance of such a decision.
"What matters is that you will leave the summit with a date... and Turkey will become a part of the European Union family," he said.
EU leaders were widely expected to announce a decision to open accession talks with Turkey on Friday, but frantic diplomatic haggling was underway in Brussels Thursday over the terms under which the invitation would be issued.
Solana said Turkey would make "an important contribution" to EU security policies and the stability of the Middle East, echoing arguments by Turkey proponents that the country's integration with the EU would set an example for other Muslim nations and help curb Islamist extremism.
"The stability of the Middle East I can say is closely related to you and that's why your importance is undeniable," he said.
12/16/2004 17:12 GMT - AFP