"Turkey's Erdogan claims place in history
AFP: 12/17/2004
ANKARA, Dec 17 (AFP) - Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, considered a dangerous Islamist firebrand just a few years ago, claimed a place in history Friday as the man who led Turkey through a massive reform process that unlocked the doors of the European Union for his nation.
At a stormy summit in Brussels, EU leaders invited Turkey to start membership talks next year -- a turning point in Turkey's decades-old efforts to modernize and integrate with the West. "
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