Turks Living In The Netherlands En Route To Brussels To Support Turkey's Bid

ROTTERDAM (AA) - Around 50 Turks including representatives of Turkish associations in the Netherlands and some politicians of Turkish origin have left the Netherlands today (Friday) for Belgian capital of Brussels, where the meeting of the European Council continues, in order to extend support to Turkey's European Union (EU) membership bid.
     The Turkish group will call on EU leaders to open full membership negotiations with Turkey within the framework of the earlier set criteria and without new preconditions, and convey a letter they have written to the EU officials.
     Sabri Kenan Bagci, the chairman of the Advisory Board for Turks (IOT), said that Turkey deserved to start entry talks with the EU, thanks to its recent efforts and steps.
     Bagci stated that an adverse development would disappoint Turkey.
     Noting that Turkey had taken place in Europe in a sense since the Paris Agreement signed in 1856, Bagci said that Turkish nation expected membership, and imposing new conditions before Turkey would be unacceptable.
     (BRC-A֩
2004-12-17