Turkey could join the European Union by 2015 if membership negotiations start next year, Dutch Foreign Minister Bernard Bot said on Monday. The Dutch government, which holds the rotating EU presidency, will chair a summit in December which is due to decide whether to launch membership negotiations with Turkey. Bot told foreign journalists the Netherlands is discussing with the EU's 25 member states whether they were happy with an EU commission report in October that recommended entry talks should start or whether they wanted extra conditions for Ankara. "We are trying to get the larger picture of where the 25 stand and what would be an acceptable conclusion or formula for opening the door to negotiations for that country," he said. Bot said EU member states had promised in 2002 to start talks with Turkey "without delay" once they decided it had met conditions on democracy, human rights and the rule of law. He assumed that meant some time in 2005 if they agree in December. "Negotiations will last between eight and 10 years. Then indeed you are around 2015. I don't see any reason why Turkey, if they continue to adapt, why they shouldn't be able to fulfil all the criteria," he said. "Turkey has made enormous strides forward, it has made very good efforts," he said, but added more progress was needed in areas including human rights, torture and freedom of religion. Bot, a former ambassador to Ankara who speaks Turkish, is a firm supporter of Turkey's membership bid.
