Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-12-13-Speech-1-087"
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"en.20041213.10.1-087"2
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"Mr President, many of us on this side of the House are very supportive of Turkey's EU membership. Over the past 80 years enormous changes have taken place in Turkey; the process of reform has accelerated dramatically since the formal recognition in 1999 of Turkey as a candidate for the European Union. Many of us also recall that Turkey has been a staunch ally in NATO for some 50 years and that during much of that time the country was subject to terrorist attacks by organisations sponsored by the Soviet Union. Those of us who are supportive of Turkey are under no illusions about the challenges ahead and the work still to be done. That is why we recognise that negotiations are likely to take 10 or 15 years. The alarmists talk as if Turkey is going to join in a month's time. Turkey has many very successful industrial sectors and a vibrant economy in many respects, but it is still a poor country. The economic challenges are formidable but the potential rewards are great.
Much still needs to be done to improve human rights, but let us not forget that some extremist groups misuse the label of human rights in order to promote sympathy for their own cause. It would be naive of those of us on the centre right in European politics to give any comfort to political groups that are closely linked to terrorists.
We could talk at length about Cyprus. It is not Turkey that should be in the dock. Turkish Cypriots, fully backed by Ankara, supported the United Nations plan which, among other features, would have phased out the non-Cypriot forces from the island, both Turkish and Greek. Many say that Turkish accession would fundamentally change the nature of the EU. If this means an end to the inexorable drive towards political integration and the end of the idea of some European state, then I welcome this.
I share concerns about free movement of people, but this is a problem wider than Turkish accession. At this time, four days before the European Council meets, we need to send a strong positive signal to Turkey that it is welcome as a member of the European Union. This signal will have wider positive reverberations. Let us give the green light now to the opening of negotiations with Turkey, not grudgingly, but with enthusiasm."@en1
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