Britain has come up with a new proposal to help bridge the gap between Turkey and EU countries on the establishment of a new EU defense structure and the European Security and Defense Policy (ESDP), diplomatic sources have told the Turkish Daily News.
“During a recent meeting with Turkish officials, British officials had suggested a sort of clarification, a clearer definition as to what the European Union's Nice Summit had offered Turkey regarding the ESDP,” the sources told the paper.
"Turkey wants more than what was offered at Nice, we know this. It is clear, however, that the EU cannot negotiate at Nice among the 15 member states. There is enough room for more steps. The British proposal is about the level of consultation and the participation of Turkey," a senior EU diplomat said.
"The British side offered Turkey an EU public statement, in which it proposed an EU policy in parallel with the NATO policy that the EU will not be involved in disputes between the parties, EU members and candidates," the diplomat said about the British suggestion.
The Turkish side was not available to comment on the proposal for the paper.
Turkey has opposed to the idea of the EU defense, which excludes Turkey from the decision making mechanisms. Since the main Turkish concern is about possible conflicts which may arise between Turkey and Greece on either the Aegean issue or Cyprus, the British plan aims to ease the concerns of Ankara, said the paper -- Albawaba.com
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