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October 04, 2005
Close call
It appears that the EU and Turkey have stopped just short of the precipice:
After two days of dramatic negotiations, European foreign ministers agreed on terms for talks to start, overcoming Austria's insistence that the EU offer Turkey the possibility of a status less than full membership. By evening, after hours of discussion with Ankara, Turkey agreed to the framework proffered for what are expected to be tough talks over the next decade.
"Agreement has now been reached that negotiations on Turkey's accession to the European Union can and will begin in the very near future," said Jack Straw, the British foreign secretary, who was leading the talks.
Note also the reassuring role played by Condi Rice. Say what you will about the Bush administration, they've always been on the right side of Turkish accession to the EU.
While overcoming Austrian intransigence and initiating the talks are big steps, expect drama similar to this for the next 10-15 years -- Turkey's road to the EU will be paved with bricks of frustration and indigestion.
UPDATE: The negotiating framework itself, courtesy of the BBC. The money quote:
The shared objective of the negotiations is accession. These negotiations are an open-ended process, the outcome of which cannot be guaranteed beforehand.
Posted by Daniel Widome at 03:07 AM to Europe
