The European Union and Turkey have reached agreement on a start to talks that could see the EU accepting its first overwhelmingly Muslim member-state within a decade.
The deal followed hours of sometimes bitter haggling in Brussels over Turkey's relationship with Cyprus, which joined the EU in May, during which Turkey's Prime Minister, Mr Tayyip Erdogan, threatened to walk out of the negotiations.
The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, welcomed yesterday's agreement as an important message to Muslims, including Ireland's 25,000-strong Islamic community, that they belong in Europe.
"We are now embarked on a process that will lead to Turkey's membership of the EU," he said.
Mr Ahern criticised Mr Erdogan, however, for introducing a "bitter pill" at the end of yesterday's summit by restating Turkey's refusal to recognise the Cypriot government.
Turkey rejected an EU demand that it should immediately extend the Ankara Agreement, which has governed EU-Turkey relations for 40 years, to the 10 new member-states, including Cyprus. The main part of the agreement is a customs union aimed at facilitating free trade between Turkey and the EU.
Extending it to Cyprus, and the level of recognition this implies, is a hugely sensitive issue for Turkey, which invaded the northern part of Cyprus 30 years ago and still has 30,000 troops stationed there.
After hours of intense discussions with the Dutch Prime Minister, Mr Jan-Peter Balkenende, and the leaders of Germany and Britain, Mr Erdogan agreed to make a declaration promising to adapt the agreement to include the new member-states before Turkey starts membership talks next October.
The Turkish leader insisted later, however, that extending the agreement did not imply legal recognition of the Cypriot government.
"The extension of the agreement to 25 EU member-countries is a technical procedure. This adaptation protocol is in no way a recognition," he said.
The Taoiseach stressed last night, however, that Turkey would not be allowed to start membership talks on October 3rd unless it has extended the Ankara Agreement to all the new member-states.
Yesterday's agreement sets tough conditions for Turkey's entry to the EU and warns that there could be permanent restrictions on migration from Turkey to other European countries. It states that, although full EU membership is the goal of negotiations, their outcome cannot be guaranteed beforehand.
The French President, Mr Jacques Chirac, repeated his promise to hold a referendum in France on the issue before Turkey joins the EU.
"The opening of negotiations does not, naturally, mean accession. The road will be long, and difficult, if Turkey is to be able to meet all the conditions necessary to join Europe," he said.
Austria's Chancellor, Mr Wolfgang Schüssel, made a surprise announcement after the summit that his country would also put Turkey's EU membership to a vote.
The Commission President, Mr Jose Manuel Barroso, sounded a more upbeat note, describing yesterday's deal as marking a new beginning for Turkey and for Europe.
"The European Union has opened its door to Turkey. This is a day on which the people of Turkey should rejoice in their new European future. My message to the Turkish people is: this is not the end of the process, this is the beginning," he said.
The British Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, who helped to persuade Mr Erdogan to accept the final compromise over Cyprus, described yesterday's decision as a historic event.
"It shows that those who believe there is some fundamental clash of civilisations between Christian and Muslim are actually wrong. Of course, this is going to be a long negotiation," he said.
The Taoiseach said that the compromise on Cyprus was "not the tidiest" resolution of the dispute and that Turkey's attitude to the Greek-Cypriot state was a problem that would have to be overcome in the future.
"It leaves outstanding the issue that they are joining a Union where they don't recognise one of the member-states," he said.
