"Slow Train to Europe
With controversy over Cyprus raging, Turkey's membership in the E.U. fades further into the future
By ANDREW PURVIS
Sunday, Dec. 03, 2006
Early last week, Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan had reason to be optimistic. During a meeting in Ankara, Pope Benedict XVI said he was in favor of Turkey joining the European Union. This reversed an opinion he had delivered previously as a Cardinal, saying the move would be "a grave error against history." But the good news was short-lived. Just days after the Pope's remarks, Olli Rehn, the E.U.'s Commissioner for Enlargement, recommended that the E.U. suspend a portion of Turkey's membership talks just 13 months after they began. The reason: Turkey's continued unwillingness to open its ports to ships from the Greek-controlled half of the disputed island of Cyprus."
More:TIME Europe Magazine: Dec. 11, 2006 -- Slow Train to Europe - 1
