Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-12-13-Speech-1-142"

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"en.20041213.10.1-142"2
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"Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, the topic that we are discussing today in this Chamber, and which we have been discussing for years in the European Parliament both in official sittings and in private talks, is a difficult and complex problem. We Members have assessed the pros and cons and are united in the firmly-held conclusion that it is both advantageous and essential to give the green light to accession negotiations. To reject them would mean thwarting the efforts that Turkey is making to modernise itself and to develop a democratic system; it would mean consigning that country to the confusion and despotism of unstable regions such as the Middle East and the Caucasus; and it would mean sending out a negative signal to the whole moderate Islamic world, reinforcing the intransigence of the fundamentalists and lending support to those who predict a clash of civilisations. Today we have an opportunity to narrow the gap between Islam and the West, thanks to a country that has roots in both the history of Christianity and that of Islam. By opening the doors of the European Union to Turkey, we can send out a strong signal to those Muslim countries that have, amidst great difficulty, set off along the road towards democracy and freedom, assuring them that they are on the right road, and showing that the European Union does not consider Islam and democracy to be incompatible. I would remind the sceptics and those who are against Turkey that starting negotiations with that country will greatly increase our security with regard to terrorism, which is a threat that we shall still have to face for many years. That is why we shall be voting for the report by Mr Eurlings, to whom we offer our most sincere and heartfelt congratulations on the enormous amount of work he has done under particularly difficult conditions and on his ability to find workable compromises among the highly diverse views that enliven this Parliament."@en1
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