"Turkey faces tough EU demands on Cyprus
Thu Jan 5, 2006 8:33 AM GMT171
By Gareth Jones
ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey's ruling AK party must balance demands from the European Union for more reforms in 2006 with growing unease among both ordinary voters and officials about the price of EU membership.
Barely three months after the historic launch of Ankara's entry talks, an opinion poll has shown Turks' support for the EU has slipped to 55 percent from more than 70 percent, amid fears the wealthy bloc does not really want the large Muslim country.
Brussels is pressing Turkey to move towards normalising ties in 2006 with EU member Cyprus, a country Ankara refuses to recognise without a final peace settlement for the island."
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