ISTANBUL - Turkish President Abdullah Gul has slammed the prospect of Cyprus taking over the European Union presidency next year as "half a country" leading a "miserable union", Turkish newspapers reported on Wednesday.
His comments to Turkish journalists during a visit to Britain underscored Ankara's frustrations with its EU accession process, which has ground to a halt over the division of the Mediterranean island and opposition from France and Germany.
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console.log("BODY2. CatId is:"+catID);if(catID==120){console.log("BODY. YES for anyclip script");document.getElementsByClassName("divConnatix")[0].style.display ="none";var script = document.createElement('script'); script.src = 'https://player.anyclip.com/anyclip-widget/lre-widget/prod/v1/src/lre.js'; script.setAttribute('pubname','jpostcom'); script.setAttribute('widgetname','0011r00001lcD1i_12258'); document.getElementsByClassName('divAnyClip')[0].appendChild(script);}else if(catID!=69 && catID!=2){console.log("BODY. YES for vidazoo script");document.getElementsByClassName("divConnatix")[0].style.display ="none"; var script = document.createElement('script'); script.src = 'https://static.vidazoo.com/basev/vwpt.js'; script.setAttribute('data-widget-id','60fd6becf6393400049e6535'); document.getElementsByClassName('divVidazoo')[0].appendChild(script); }Gul said the failure to open new chapters in Turkey's negotiating process was harming the 27-nation bloc's reputation and that it could suffer its biggest loss of credibility in 2012 when Cyprus takes over the rotating EU presidency in July.
"Now this half a country, this incomplete country will take over the EU presidency," Gul was quoted as saying by
Aksam newspaper. "There will be a half-presidency leading a miserable union. That is exactly the expression I said to EU leaders."
