The British Prime Minister risked angering some of his fellow heads of state this month by coming out in vehement support of Turkey becoming a member of the EU. On his first official visit to Turkey, the conservative politician expressed his ‘anger’ at what he claimed was a ‘slow’ and ‘frustrated’ negotiation process. Cameron’s comments, described as ‘disingenuous’ and ‘overboard’ by some members of the British press, will not have endeared him to French President Sarkosy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel ; they have both resisted the idea of Turkish membership and have instead proposed a ‘privileged partnership’ status for the country. Accession negotiations with Turkey were officially opened in 2005 but currently only one of the 35 chapters of the ‘acquis communautaire’ has been closed.

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