Foreign minister says Turkey remains committed to EU membership bid

Alert Focus: The Iron and the clay Revelation 13:1 And the dragon stood on the sand of the seashore. Then I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads, and on his horns were ten diadems, and on his heads were blasphemous names. ANKARA, Turkey: Turkey's foreign minister insisted Friday that Turkey would not abandon its struggle for European Union membership, despite an EU decision to partially freeze entry talks. EU leaders earlier this month decided to halt negotiations in eight out of 35 policy areas because of Turkey's refusal to open ports and airports to EU member Cyprus, whose government Ankara does not recognize. "For the EU, to act in a way that is against the core and the spirit of ties (with Turkey) by hiding behind various excuses such as the Cyprus issue, is unacceptable," Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said in an address to a leading Turkish business group. "But we are not going to sulk ... and say: 'we're not with you anymore,' " Gul said. "We are not a point the where we would endanger Turkey's future. ... There is no question of us abandoning the struggle." Gul said Turkey's economy was stronger than many other newly joined EU members and pledged his government's continued commitment to a reform process aimed at improving human rights, as well as the country's legal, economic and social systems to meet EU standards. "We are committed to our aim for full EU membership," Gul told businessmen. "The reform process will continue as before." The minister said the EU was in a temporary state of "confusion" over its future. "Such periods have come and gone in the history of Europe. This too will pass," Gul said. Turkey insists it will only open ports and airports once the international isolation of the Turkish Cypriot state ends. Cyprus has been divided between a Greek Cypriot south and a Turkish-occupied north since 1974, when Turkey invaded after an abortive Athens-backed coup by supporters of union with Greece. http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/12/22/europe/EU_GEN_Turkey_EU.php FAIR USE NOTICE: This blog contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of religious, environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.