"If Turkey can reform then Turkey can join" - Watson

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Thu 23rd Sep 2004

"If Europeans genuinely reject the idea of a clash of civilisations then we should welcome the prospect of a healthy Turkish liberal democracy within the EU" ALDE leader Graham Watson (Liberal Democrat, UK) said after a meeting between senior EU parliamentarians and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Brussels this afternoon. Mr Watson said that if Turkey could meet the criteria for European membership then it should be offered entry negotiations: "If Turkey can reform then Turkey can join. After a forty-year flirtation with Turkey, Europe cannot continue to be coy."

"If the Commission reports in October that Turkey has met the Copenhagen criteria for EU membership then Europe should move on to the next stage of the process and open membership talks. After a forty-year flirtation, Europe cannot continue to be coy. The EU must make it clear that there is no automatic entry and that the opening of membership talks is not a guarantee of eventual membership. But to do justice to Turkey's reformers and to our common belief in Turkey's European vocation, if the conditions are met Europe must negotiate in good faith. If Europeans genuinely reject the idea of a clash of civilisations then we should welcome the prospect of a healthy Turkish liberal democracy within the EU."

"I told Mr Erdogan that Liberals and Democrats see penal code reform as a crucial step towards meeting the Copenhagen criteria. Measures to toughen penalties for torture and strengthen freedom of expression are a key part of Turkey's successful transition to a culture of human rights. Mr Erdogan has pledged to see his adapted penal code package passed into law before October 6."

"There are practical challenges for both Turkey and the EU in Turkish membership. Turkey faces at least a decade of further reform. Europe also has to consider how to strengthen the machinery of the European Union to handle further enlargement, another reason why it is important that the European Constitution is adopted."

"While all political parties contain differences of opinion on Turkey, the clear majority of Liberals and Democrats in the European Parliament seek Turkish membership of the EU."