"Divided Turkey faces long road to EU membership
By Charles M. Sennott, Globe Staff | December 18, 2004
ISTANBUL � Turkey has always shown two faces: One, confidently pointing toward Europe, is wealthy, urban, and secular; another, gazing eastward, is poor, rural, and devoutly Muslim.
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Yesterday, the 25 leaders of the European Union capped a two-day summit in Brussels by agreeing to start negotiations with Turkey in October 2005 on eventual membership in the organization � but only if it can become a nation fully grounded in the European ideals of democracy, equality, and respect for human rights.
The decision is fraught with economic, political, and strategic significance for Europe, as well as for the United States. Turkey�s accession also touches on what it means to be European, as its membership would bring the borders of Europe to Iraq, Syria, and Iran."
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