Italian president Napolitano: "Privileged partnership proposals are inapropriate"

As Turkey's European Union accession negotiations continue, it is inappropriate to try to propose another status to Turkey falling short of full membership, Italian President Georgio Napolitano said yesterday. Speaking at Ankara University, Napolitano called himself a consistent supporter of the Europe's unity and integration. "Turkey's rapprochement with Europe reached its peak through the Turkish Republic established under the leadership of Kemal Ataturk after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire," he added, "when Turkey put forth its choice to turn towards Europe under the 1924 Constitution."