Athens News Agency: News in English, 02-12-07

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From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] Simitis, Berlusconi agree Turkey should be given EU 'date' in 2004

[01] Simitis, Berlusconi agree Turkey should be given EU 'date' in 2004

ROME (ANA - L. Hatzikyriakos) - Rome and Athens share common positions on almost all bilateral issues, while they also share the same positions on several issues concerning Cyprus and Turkey, Prime Minister Costas Simitis and his Italian counterpart Silvio Berlusconi said on Friday, following a meeting they held here on Friday.

Prime Minister Costas Simitis arrived in Rome for meetings in light of Greece's EU presidency.

The two leaders agreed on the subject of setting a date for the initiation of EU accession negotiations for Turkey, Simitis said, adding that delays in setting a date make the positive message Europe wants to send to Turkey less clear and positive.

''I would like to reiterate what I said before. We should give a positive message to Turkey and in regards specifically to the date. The more the date for the initiation of accession negotiations is delayed, the more the message becomes less clear and positive,'' Simitis said, adding ''we believe that the date should not be moved up for many years, but to be set for earlier. To be set for 2004, as Mr. Berlusconi said.''

Simitis, responding to a question on the Chirac-Schroeder proposal for the setting of a date in 2005, and that of Berlusconi for a date in 2004 and whether there would be an agreement in Copenhagen, said ''this is what I discussed with (German Prime Minister Gerhard) Schroeder and (French Prime Minister Jacques) Chirac and with other prime ministers in the EU.''

Speaking on whether the Annan plan for the Cyprus issue could become an obstacle for the setting of a date for Turkey, Simitis said ''as I said before the time until Copenhagen is very short. It is improbable that the negotiations for the plan will be completed by Copenhagen and in the event that they will not be completed they will have to continue, with everyone's understanding that effort is necessary for a conclusion.''

''This makes evident that the date of negotiations initiation does not depend on the resolution of the Cyprus issue,'' he said.

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