Turkey is not brought into the European Union.

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Straw warns on Turkey talks

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By Edward Davie - 1st October 2005
We need to see Turkey in the European Union and not pushed the other way

Jack Straw

Foreign secretary Jack Straw has warned that the divide between the Christian and Muslim worlds will grow even wider if Turkey is not brought into the European Union.

Speaking just before chairing a crunch meeting of EU foreign ministers on the issue he said that Turkey will be "pushed the other way" if the deadlock over entry negotiations is not broken.

Straw is in Luxembourg to chair emergency talks aimed at preventing the collapse of Monday's planned high-profile launch of formal membership discussions.

He told the Politics Show that bringing Turkey into the EU club was a way of "binding" Europe and honouring a membership promise made to the Turks 42 years ago.

The Foreign Secretary declared: "We're concerned about a so-called clash of civilisations. We're concerned about this theological-political divide, which could open up even further down the boundary between so-called Christian-heritage states and those of Islamic heritage.

"We need to see Turkey in the European Union and not pushed the other way".

He went on: "We want Turkey to join the EU because it is a European country. It has been promised membership of the European Union for the last 42 years.

"We've repeated that promise five times in the last ten years. And in December 2004 and in June of this year (EU leaders) unanimously said that negotiations ought to start tomorrow, the aim of the negotiations is full membership".

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