Prodi verbindt oplossing voor Cyprus-probleem aan lidmaatschap Turkije (en)

Turkey's efforts to start EU accession negotiations received a boost yesterday following praise on its reform efforts by Commission President Romano Prodi.

Speaking in Ankara during the first visit of a Commission President to the country in forty years, Mr Prodi said "My main message is to encourage Turkey to continue along the path of reforms because impressive progress has been achieved, and the country is now closer to the Union".

However, the Commission President also made it clear that Turkish membership of the EU and finding a solution to the 30-year division of the island of Cyprus were inextricably linked.

"Our position is very clear that the settlement of the Cyprus problem will greatly help Turkey's EU aspirations".

The EU is keen to have a reunited Cyprus join the EU. At the moment, the whole island is set to accede to the EU on 1 May but EU legislation will only apply in the southern Greek part. Effectively, the situation would mean that the Union has a member state that is militarily occupied - something it is keen to avoid.

For his part, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that a solution to the Cyprus question would affect the process in a positive direction.

But he also added that the Cyprus issue was not a preliminary condition of the Copenhagen political criteria [for joining the EU] and was not among the conditions, reports Turkishpress.com

Mr Prodi warned that starting accession negotiations will not lead to rapid membership of the EU.

"Accession is not a formality, and not for the immediate future. The negotiations will take time, reflecting the scale of the difficulties in many sectors faced by such a large and complex country".