Ankara - Turkey's deputy prime minister, Mr Mesut Yilmaz, was quoted yesterday as saying the powerful military feared that adopting the reforms required for EU membership could lead to the break-up of the country.
"There are sectors that are scared that Turkey would be split up if we enter the European Union. The army shares this sensitivity," the daily Hurriyet quoted Mr Yilmaz as saying. Turkey won candidacy for EU membership in December but faces a lengthy list of reforms, including granting cultural rights to some 12 million Kurds, many of whom live in the south-east.
