Turkey and the EU

Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer has vetoed parts of a reform package designed to prepare the country for talks on EU membership.
The package, which includes scrapping part of an anti-terrorism law, was passed by parliament earlier in the month.

Mr Sezer may still be forced to sign the law if the parliament returns it to him unchanged after further debate.

However, correspondents say the veto is a setback for Turkey's efforts to achieve EU human rights standards before possible membership talks in late 2004.
Turkish president vetoes reforms

Speaking on television over the weekend, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said that next year would be a critical one for Turkey's European Union membership bid. At its December 2004 summit, the EU is set to review Turkey's accession progress. Gul said that both the EU and Turkey would benefit from Turkey's membership and that the Union knew this. "The EU could benefit from Turkey's large, powerful army. Turkey would contribute to the Union more than Latvia and Estonia," said Gul, referring to two Baltic countries slated to join next year.

However, he added that if Turkey were not able to join the EU, then it would continue its own way without the Union. Asked about Ankara's National Security Council (NSC) becoming a civilian institution, Gul said that no state institution would be exempted from the nation's reform process. The foreign minister stated that he expected the support of the opposition Republican People's Party's (CHP) for reforms for Ankara's EU bid. Also touching on Turkish-US relations, Gul said that last week, in the wake of a high-level Foreign Ministry visit to Washington, the US administration had sent a letter to Chief of General Staff Gen. Hilmi Ozkok telling about Turkey's contributions to the Iraq war, Turkish-US relations and the importance of Turkey and the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK). He stated that he believed the US would not conduct an operation against Syria or Iran. Gul added that Ankara favored good relations with Armenia and that there was nothing in Turkey's past for it to be ashamed of. "We did not assimilate any nation," said Gul. Both the EU and Turkey would benefit from Turkey's membership