Ankara / Antalya, 22/11/2000 (Agence Europe) - "Turkey will not of its own accord suspend its candidate for EU membership" and those who hope this will happen are "dreaming", said Turkish Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit on Wednesday, when speaking to his party's parliamentary group. He accused the Union of "deceit" (reproaching the Commission for having cited the question of Cyprus in its document on accession partnership).
Foreign Minister Ismail Cem (who had criticised the EU leaders for behaving like "colonial governors") took part, on 22 November in Antalya, at the meeting of the joint EU/Turkey parliamentary committee jointly chaired by Daniel Cohn-Bendit and Kursat Eser. During the meeting he challenged the point of view of MEPs which was strongly reiterated by European Commission representative Peter Tempel and by the representative of the French Presidency, Ambassador Gurcia, who affirmed that the Commission document does not create any new conditions for Turkey. According to a press release, Mr Cema on the contrary felt that "efforts were underway to change the basis of Turkey's status as a candidate". According to the same press release, MEPs also stressed that the resolution adopted by the EP after the debate on the Morillon Report does not attach any new conditions to Turkey's candidature. Turkish members, however, expressed deep disappointment at the inclusion in the resolution of references to the Armenian "genocide", to Cyprus and to the Aegean Sea border dispute with Greece.