Turkish Welcome Erdogan's Arrival From Brussels 
About 4,000 people gathered in sub-zero weather Saturday, December 18, 2004, to welcome back Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, after he obtained a starting date for talks that will lead his country to membership in the European Union. Erdogan was cheered on by groups of people that lined the 25-kilometer (16-mile) road from the airport to the capital Ankara. Erdogan praised his government's efforts at achieving the democratic reforms that allowed Turkey to obtain a pledge from the European Union to begin accession negotiations next October.