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Associated Press Worldstream
July 20, 2004 Tuesday 1:56 PM Eastern Time
Turkish Prime Minister to meet Chirac on lobbying visit for EU entry
talks
by PAMELA SAMPSON; Associated Press Writer
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan pressed ahead Tuesday
with an official visit to France aimed at prying open the European
Union's doors to his overwhelmingly Muslim country.
But his quest was a hard sell in France, where leaders have failed to
enthusiastically embrace Turkey's bid and polls show most French want
Turkey to stay out of the 25-member union.
Erdogan, after meeting with French President Jacques Chirac, said he
tried to convey the message that Turkey is making the changes
required to meet the so-called Copenhagen criteria for membership and
is counting on France not to withdraw its support.
But he said Turkey should not be held to a higher standard than the
other EU members or the two nations hoping to join in 2007, Romania
and Bulgaria.
"Turkey doesn't ask to join at any price," Erdogan said at a press
conference. "Joining the EU is not a must for Turkey."
But France has its doubters. One of the most prominent voices to
oppose Turkey membership has been former French President Valery
Giscard d'Estaing, who bluntly said that Turkey isn't European and
its entry would mean "the end" of the EU.
The ruling Union for the Popular Majority party, which has an
overwhelming majority in the French parliament, also is hostile to
Turkey's membership. Erdogan met with former party head Alain Juppe
and others later Tuesday to try to win over hearts and minds.
The French public also needs to be convinced. In a poll of 1,511
people last month, 61 percent of French who responded said they
opposed Turkey membership in the EU, and only 31 percent said they
approved. Eight percent did not have an opinion.
Turkey is hoping for a positive report on its candidacy from the
European Commission this fall. Turkey hopes to get a start date for
entry negotiations at the EU summit in December, but some European
countries have seemed reluctant to include Turkey - a country of some
70 million, mostly Muslim inhabitants.
Membership of Turkey, located at the crossroads of Europe and Asia,
would stretch the EU's borders to Syria and Iraq - a fact that
opponents say moves Europe too close to the unstable Middle East.
Chirac has said that he believes Ankara was not likely to be able to
meet the bloc's conditions for another 10-15 years.
Foreign Minister Michel Barnier said in a radio interview Tuesday
that "Turkey should not expect to enter the European Union tomorrow
morning" even if it improves its human rights record and reforms its
justice system, two key requirements.
"Turkey still has a ways to go toward becoming a social and
democratic model along the lines of the European model," Barnier told
Europe-1 radio.
Turkey also has passed sweeping democratic reforms to meet the EU's
membership criteria, abolishing the death penalty and granting
greater cultural rights to long-oppressed Kurds.
French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin said Monday after talks
with Erdogan that France was awaiting the European Commission report.
"We will study the Commission's report this fall with the greatest
attention," Raffarin said.
Whatever the outcome of Turkey's application, it likely will maintain
its strong commercial contacts with France. Turkey's Anatolia news
agency said that Erdogan and Chirac on Tuesday agreed in principle on
the purchases of 36 Airbus planes by Turkish Airlines at a cost of
around US$1.5 billion.
In Paris, members of the Revolutionary Armenian Federation held a
demonstration against Erdogan's visit and said Turkey should not be
allowed into the EU until it recognizes the Armenian genocide.
Armenians accuse Turks of a genocide of up to 1.5 million Armenians
between 1915 and 1923. Turks claim the number of deaths is inflated
and say the victims were killed in civil unrest.
"We are here to convince the French government, specifically Chirac,
to say absolutely 'No' to Turkey's entry into the European Union,"
said Marie Ghazarossian, a housewife of Armenian descent who has
lived in France for 15 years. "Turkey is not a part of Europe, not
the Europe that we know."
July 20, 2004 Tuesday 1:56 PM Eastern Time
Turkish Prime Minister to meet Chirac on lobbying visit for EU entry
talks
by PAMELA SAMPSON; Associated Press Writer
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan pressed ahead Tuesday
with an official visit to France aimed at prying open the European
Union's doors to his overwhelmingly Muslim country.
But his quest was a hard sell in France, where leaders have failed to
enthusiastically embrace Turkey's bid and polls show most French want
Turkey to stay out of the 25-member union.
Erdogan, after meeting with French President Jacques Chirac, said he
tried to convey the message that Turkey is making the changes
required to meet the so-called Copenhagen criteria for membership and
is counting on France not to withdraw its support.
But he said Turkey should not be held to a higher standard than the
other EU members or the two nations hoping to join in 2007, Romania
and Bulgaria.
"Turkey doesn't ask to join at any price," Erdogan said at a press
conference. "Joining the EU is not a must for Turkey."
But France has its doubters. One of the most prominent voices to
oppose Turkey membership has been former French President Valery
Giscard d'Estaing, who bluntly said that Turkey isn't European and
its entry would mean "the end" of the EU.
The ruling Union for the Popular Majority party, which has an
overwhelming majority in the French parliament, also is hostile to
Turkey's membership. Erdogan met with former party head Alain Juppe
and others later Tuesday to try to win over hearts and minds.
The French public also needs to be convinced. In a poll of 1,511
people last month, 61 percent of French who responded said they
opposed Turkey membership in the EU, and only 31 percent said they
approved. Eight percent did not have an opinion.
Turkey is hoping for a positive report on its candidacy from the
European Commission this fall. Turkey hopes to get a start date for
entry negotiations at the EU summit in December, but some European
countries have seemed reluctant to include Turkey - a country of some
70 million, mostly Muslim inhabitants.
Membership of Turkey, located at the crossroads of Europe and Asia,
would stretch the EU's borders to Syria and Iraq - a fact that
opponents say moves Europe too close to the unstable Middle East.
Chirac has said that he believes Ankara was not likely to be able to
meet the bloc's conditions for another 10-15 years.
Foreign Minister Michel Barnier said in a radio interview Tuesday
that "Turkey should not expect to enter the European Union tomorrow
morning" even if it improves its human rights record and reforms its
justice system, two key requirements.
"Turkey still has a ways to go toward becoming a social and
democratic model along the lines of the European model," Barnier told
Europe-1 radio.
Turkey also has passed sweeping democratic reforms to meet the EU's
membership criteria, abolishing the death penalty and granting
greater cultural rights to long-oppressed Kurds.
French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin said Monday after talks
with Erdogan that France was awaiting the European Commission report.
"We will study the Commission's report this fall with the greatest
attention," Raffarin said.
Whatever the outcome of Turkey's application, it likely will maintain
its strong commercial contacts with France. Turkey's Anatolia news
agency said that Erdogan and Chirac on Tuesday agreed in principle on
the purchases of 36 Airbus planes by Turkish Airlines at a cost of
around US$1.5 billion.
In Paris, members of the Revolutionary Armenian Federation held a
demonstration against Erdogan's visit and said Turkey should not be
allowed into the EU until it recognizes the Armenian genocide.
Armenians accuse Turks of a genocide of up to 1.5 million Armenians
between 1915 and 1923. Turks claim the number of deaths is inflated
and say the victims were killed in civil unrest.
"We are here to convince the French government, specifically Chirac,
to say absolutely 'No' to Turkey's entry into the European Union,"
said Marie Ghazarossian, a housewife of Armenian descent who has
lived in France for 15 years. "Turkey is not a part of Europe, not
the Europe that we know."