"Babacan: Turkey ready for EU talks
TURKEY IS ready for European Union accession talks next month and is determined to make them a success, a key minister said yesterday, shrugging off last-minute wrangling inside the bloc over Ankara's bid.
Turkey is scheduled to start its talks on October 3, but the EU has yet to agree a negotiating mandate and Cyprus, backed by France and Austria, is pressing Ankara for more concessions. Ankara refuses to accept the Cypriot government.
'Turkey is completely ready and prepared to start the 'screening' process’,' Economy Minister Ali Babacan said in televised remarks.
'The negotiation process will be a long one and we are completely resolved to continue this process,' said Babacan, who will lead Turkey's EU negotiating team.
After October 3, the European Commission will carefully scrutinise Turkish legislation across a wide range of policy areas in a process known as 'screening'. This process precedes the opening of detailed negotiations on given policy areas."
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