Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-09-26-Speech-2-246"
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"en.20060926.24.2-246"2
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"Mr President, as this debate draws to a close, I should like to remind the House once more that Mr Eurlings has presented a good, constructive report, even if it has not been seen that way and has been criticised in Turkey.
The fact that the outcome of negotiations is open and that they could – and should, in my opinion – result in alternatives to full membership is nothing new, but rather the subject of discussion in the Council and Parliament. I would contradict expressly Commissioner Rehn’s statement here in his opening speech that he expects the conclusion of negotiations, and accession, by the end of the decade. That leaves less than four years.
No one who wants to see Turkey become a full member is saying that it can join in its present condition – it has to make fundamental changes. Turkey must recognise and respect human rights, freedom of religion and minority rights. It must resolve the Armenian issue and actively recognise Cyprus. Does anyone in Turkey really believe that Turkey could join the EU whilst failing to recognise another full member? An insider said recently that Cyprus would be recognised only when Turkey became a full member or voluntarily broke off the negotiations. If the EU, including the Commission, tolerates that, it will mean letting go of all our chances of holding Europe together.
On the subject of freedom of religion, it is remarkable that the Turkish authorities – the deputy party leader, the highest representative of the religious authority, a State official – judged the Pope’s speech before even reading it. Pope Benedict XVI was compared with Hitler and Mussolini – an outrageous episode that shows and documents the intolerance and Islamism in the minds of the people with whom we are negotiating. In view of the burgeoning nationalism and the uncompromising attitude of the Erdoğan Government, I have considerable doubts as to the political will to actually cede sovereignty to the EU.
That is why the Eurlings report is right and necessary. Turkey should see the advice and requirements as an opportunity rather than a threat."@en1
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