Turkey "could block EU's participation at NATO summit"

Source: Tanjug

ISTANBUL -- Turkey will block the participation of the EU delegation in the NATO summit unless the gathering is also attended by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

(Beta, file)

Turkey is a member of the NATO military alliance, and a candidate for membership in the European Union.
Leading EU countries have proposed that European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and President of the European Council Herman van Rompuy take part in the work of the summit next month in Chicago, U.S.

Since the situation in Afghanistan will be discussed during the gathering, France and some other countries believe that top EU officials should be there, since the union is "engaged in the reconstruction of Afghanistan and the implementation of democratic reforms in that country", said reports.

But an unnamed Turkish diplomat in Ankara was quoted as saying by the daily Zaman that "if the meeting is attended by bureaucrats coming from outside of NATO, then the OIC should be represented as well."

It is being noted in Turkey on this occasion that the OIC - a bloc of 56 countries - is also "engaged in solving the problems in Afghanistan and Pakistan, where it has a permanent office".

The decision on the participation of delegations of the OIC and the EU has yet to be agreed through diplomatic contacts between the western military alliance's members, said the Istanbul-based newspaper.