[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 594 Introduced in House (IH)]






107th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 594

 Supporting the efforts of the Republic of Turkey to join the European 
                                 Union.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 16, 2002

 Mr. Wexler (for himself, Mr. Whitfield, and Mr. Lantos) submitted the 
     following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 
                        International Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Supporting the efforts of the Republic of Turkey to join the European 
                                 Union.

Whereas the United States has long supported the efforts of the Republic of 
        Turkey to join the European Union;
Whereas the 1963 Ankara Agreement between Turkey and the European Union 
        envisages the accession of Turkey to the European Union;
Whereas Turkey has been and continues to be a strategic North Atlantic Treaty 
        Organization (NATO) ally of Western Europe and the United States and a 
        strong leader in the international campaign against terrorism in all its 
        manifestations;
Whereas most European members of NATO also belong to the European Union and for 
        several decades Turkey has been a full member of all major European 
        institutions, including the Organization for Security and Cooperation in 
        Europe (OSCE), the Council of Europe, and the Organization for Economic 
        Cooperation and Development (OECD);
Whereas Turkey is one of 13 candidate countries seeking membership in the 
        European Union;
Whereas on August 3, 2002, Turkey passed historic, broad-based reforms aimed at 
        meeting the European Union's political criteria for candidate countries 
        (commonly referred to as the ``EU Copenhagen political criteria'') and 
        bringing Turkish democracy into conformance with the standards of other 
        Western European democracies;
Whereas Turkey has made substantial progress toward full integration into the 
        European Union, including by entering into a customs union with the EU 
        effective January 1, 1996--the only candidate country to have achieved 
        such an arrangement with the EU;
Whereas Turkey is the most venerable among the very few secular democracies in 
        the Muslim world;
Whereas on June 25, 2002, President George Bush stated that Republic of Turkey 
        is a model for Muslims of a secular and democratic state;
Whereas Turkey has consistently and resolutely taken bold steps to develop its 
        democracy in the shadow of neighbors who represent some of the most 
        sinister and repressive dictatorships in the world and who have often 
        supported anti-Turkish and international terrorism;
Whereas the territory of Turkey is geo-strategically crucial to Western 
        interests and Turkey therefore must often risk its own security and 
        economic stability for the sake of solidarity with the Western alliance; 
        and
Whereas on July 14, 2002, Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz stated that 
        Turkey's full integration into European institutions is in the best 
        interests of the people of Turkey, the people of Europe, and of the 
        United States: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives 
that--
            (1) the United States should continue to support the 
        efforts of the Republic of Turkey to join the European Union; 
        and
            (2) the European Union should recognize Turkey's 
        comprehensive political and economic reforms and set a date for 
        the initiation of accession negotiations at the meeting of the 
        European Council in Copenhagen to be held on December 12-13, 
        2002.
                                 <all>