| | | | EP Socialist leader Martin Schulz stressed his bloc’s group support for Turkey becoming a member of the EU, saying that it made its choice in order to bring its economy, politics and human right into line with those of the EU.
Speaking in an interview with television station NTV, Schulz said that more than half of the Socialists favoured Turkey’s starting the negotiation process with the bloc.
However, he said that an assessment period was required to see whether reforms enacted by Turkey were fully implemented.
He added that the believed the preliminary assessment would take few months and that talks could take start in the first half of 2005.
However, he called on Turkey to take steps over the Cyprus question ahead of the December 17 vote by EU leaders on whether to start the accession negotiation process with Ankara.
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