ABHABER.COM: Fischer: Turkey's EU bid crucial against Mideast radicalization

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Former German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer stated yesterday that the rise in radicalism in the Middle East proved the European Union right in its decision last October to begin accession talks with Turkey. In a speech to Washington-based think tank the Brookings Institution, Fischer said, "What if the EU had closed its doors to Turkey in October? The conditions would be worse and more complex in this radicalized situation in the Middle East," citing the Iranian nuclear dispute, the rise of militant group Hamas as a result of the Palestinian elections, and the latest sectarian clashes in Iraq. Underlining that Turkey's membership in the 25-nation bloc is a serious decision for the EU as well as for the country because of its large size and huge population, Fischer said that he is not pessimistic about the accession of Turkey into the Union. "There are two different pictures of Turkey," Fischer said. "Although the western and southwestern part of the country have already Europeanized, the adaptation of the east and southeast will be crucial since these regions are problematic," he added underlining the need for more time to solve these problems.