"Here�s looking at you, Turkey
Why the world must take note as Turkey knocks on EU�s door
V.P. MALIK
Will Samuel P. Huntington be proved wrong on the ��clash of civilisations�� if and when Islamic Turkey joins the European Union (EU)? And will that enable the EU to put an end to the decades old ethno-territorial feud in Cyprus? I was in Turkey in December, 2004 when its prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, returned home after attending the EU Summit in Brussels and obtaining a start date for ��accession talks�� for EU membership. There was much happiness and jubilation, and also some apprehension. The ruling liberal Islamist party, the AKP, organised a huge triumphant rally for the prime minister. There were minor protests rallies too, on the prime minister compromising on Turkey�s support to Turkish Cypriots in Cyprus. After fulfilling EU�s Copenhagen criteria of democracy, human rights and fiscal reforms, and obtaining its approval to start ��accession talks�� on October 3 2005, Turkey may yet take 10-12 years to become a regular EU member. "
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