Athens News Agency: News in English, 05-10-02

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From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] EU ministers to resume talks Monday on Turkey's EU entry bid

[01] EU ministers to resume talks Monday on Turkey's EU entry bid

The United Kingdom, which holds the bloc's rotating presidency, will present a new plan to be drafted after negotiations with Austria, which has sought privileged status for Turkey as an alternative to full membership, if required, a diplomatic source said.

"Major progress has been made towards attaining agreement....It is very likely to happen this morning," the same source said.

Austria and remaining member states were unable to forge a compromise over a working dinner on Sunday. Neither was agreement reached in a follow-up meeting ordained by the UK that ran into the early hours of Monday morning.

The UK's move was interpreted as a bid to exert pressure on Austria to drop its objection to the start of normal entry talks with Turkey, which were originally set for Monday, the source said.

"The Austrian side appears willing to accept Turkey's membership of the EU as the final goal, on condition, however, that concrete conditions will be set," the same source reported.

The conditions are reportedly to monitor that Ankara has fully met entry criteria, and that the 25-nation bloc itself is in a position to absorb the new member when the time comes for accession.

Greece backs start of entry talks

Foreign Minister Petros Molyviatis told the meeting that Greece supported normal EU entry talks for Turkey, as originally planned, although the concerns of each member-state should be taken into account, diplomatic sources said.

The purpose of the entry process was eventual membership of a candidate country if all conditions were met, Molyviatis was quoted as saying.

The minister also noted that Greece was willing to discuss ways of accomodating Austria's position, but without changing the EU's line that the final objective of entry talks is membership for the candidate country.

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