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FRENCH MINISTER SARKOZY DECLARES 'WAR' AGAINST TURKEY'S EU MEMBERSHIP
By Melahat DUZGECER, Jan SOYKOK, ANKARA and PARIS (JTW)
Journal of Turkish Weekly, Turkey
Sept 9 2006
* French Minister Sarkozy Says That Turkey Should Never Be EU Member
* Turks accuse him of being racist and religionist
French Interior Minister and chairman of the centre-right UMP Nicolas
Sarkozy argued that Turkey should never be part of the European
Union. Turks accuse Mr. Sarkozy of being racist and religionist.
French Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy, who is expected by many
to win the French presidency in 2007, reiterated his opposition to
Turkey's E.U. membership, saying that membership talks with Turkey
should be suspended. "For many reason, the E.U. should deepen relations
with Turkey but without going as far as full membership," Sarkozy
said in a speech delivered to a Brussels think tank on Friday. Sarkozy
proposes a privileged partnership to Turkey instead of full membership.
In a speech to the Friends of Europe think-tank setting out his
"vision" of the EU's future, Mr Sarkozy urged the creation of ad
hoc groups of countries ("an open avant-garde") empowered to forge
ahead with common policies, leaving others behind; the formation of
pan-European political parties; and handing powers to the European
commission president to choose his own team of commissioners.
Demanding a watertight definition of Europe's frontiers, he made plain
that Turkey should never be allowed to join and current accession
talks should be frozen until Ankara opened its ports and airports to
(Greek) Cyprus, in effect recognizing the EU's 25th member.
Prof. Dr. Sedat Laciner, director of the USAK, told the JTW that Mr.
Sarkozy abuses Turkey's EU membership process for his presidential
campaign. "The Greek and Armenian voters with other anti-Turkish
groups give great importance to the Turkish issue and the French
politicians simply abuses the problems with Turkey" Dr. Laciner added.
Similarly Dr. Nilgun Gulcan accused Mr. Sarkozy of being racist
and religionist:
"There is no difference between his understanding and the Nazi
understanding. The only difference is the new Jews are Turks. Mr.
Sarkozy and his party do not want to see Turkey in the EU though
Turkey is an European country because Turkey is a Muslim country.
There are many Muslim countries on the European continent, yet none
of them is EU member. Mr. Sarkozy is talking about the Cyprus issue.
They fully accepted the Greek side as the only state on the island
and now they only accuse the Turkish side. The French minister is not
sincere and racist. He fully supports the Greeks against the Turks
because they are Christian. He also supports the Armenians against
Turkey and Azerbaijan because the Armenians are Christian. Mr. Sarkozy
is one of the supporters of the clash of civilizations in Europe."
One of the Turkish diplomats in Ankara told the JTW that the Greeks
were accepted as full EU member though they rejected all peace plans
in 2004. "The EU did not keep its words in Cyprus issue and now they
blame Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots for the problems regarding the
Cyprus issue" he added.
Many in Turkey believe in that the EU will never accept Turkey as full
member because the EU is a Christian club. Most of the Middle Eastern
countries, including Egypt, Israel, Palestine, Syria, Saudi Arabia,
Algeria, Jordan and Iran, declared that they fully support Turkey's
EU membership.
Sarkozy: Turkey is not European
Nicholas Sarkozy had opened his anti-Turkish campaign on the eve of
the critical EU constitution referendum in France in May 2005.
"Israel and Lebanon have more European values than Turkey," Sarkozy
had said, meeting with university students in Paris. Describing Turkey
as an "Asian country," Sarkozy had said, "I'm not against the Turks
or Muslims, but I'm not for the EU membership of an Asian state."
"I don't want to see the Kurdish, Hizbullah and Palestine problems
become European problems," Sarkozy, who is touted by many as the next
French president, continued. "I don't want a Europe, which will be
neighboring Iraq or Iran." However Mr. Sarkozy have been champion of
French involvement in Kurdish and Lebanon issues.
More than 100 million Muslims live in Europe yet no Muslim country
has been accepted as the full member to the EU including Turkey,
Azerbaijan, Albania, Bosnia and Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus
(TRNC).
http://www.turkishweekly.net/news. php?id=38109
By Melahat DUZGECER, Jan SOYKOK, ANKARA and PARIS (JTW)
Journal of Turkish Weekly, Turkey
Sept 9 2006
* French Minister Sarkozy Says That Turkey Should Never Be EU Member
* Turks accuse him of being racist and religionist
French Interior Minister and chairman of the centre-right UMP Nicolas
Sarkozy argued that Turkey should never be part of the European
Union. Turks accuse Mr. Sarkozy of being racist and religionist.
French Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy, who is expected by many
to win the French presidency in 2007, reiterated his opposition to
Turkey's E.U. membership, saying that membership talks with Turkey
should be suspended. "For many reason, the E.U. should deepen relations
with Turkey but without going as far as full membership," Sarkozy
said in a speech delivered to a Brussels think tank on Friday. Sarkozy
proposes a privileged partnership to Turkey instead of full membership.
In a speech to the Friends of Europe think-tank setting out his
"vision" of the EU's future, Mr Sarkozy urged the creation of ad
hoc groups of countries ("an open avant-garde") empowered to forge
ahead with common policies, leaving others behind; the formation of
pan-European political parties; and handing powers to the European
commission president to choose his own team of commissioners.
Demanding a watertight definition of Europe's frontiers, he made plain
that Turkey should never be allowed to join and current accession
talks should be frozen until Ankara opened its ports and airports to
(Greek) Cyprus, in effect recognizing the EU's 25th member.
Prof. Dr. Sedat Laciner, director of the USAK, told the JTW that Mr.
Sarkozy abuses Turkey's EU membership process for his presidential
campaign. "The Greek and Armenian voters with other anti-Turkish
groups give great importance to the Turkish issue and the French
politicians simply abuses the problems with Turkey" Dr. Laciner added.
Similarly Dr. Nilgun Gulcan accused Mr. Sarkozy of being racist
and religionist:
"There is no difference between his understanding and the Nazi
understanding. The only difference is the new Jews are Turks. Mr.
Sarkozy and his party do not want to see Turkey in the EU though
Turkey is an European country because Turkey is a Muslim country.
There are many Muslim countries on the European continent, yet none
of them is EU member. Mr. Sarkozy is talking about the Cyprus issue.
They fully accepted the Greek side as the only state on the island
and now they only accuse the Turkish side. The French minister is not
sincere and racist. He fully supports the Greeks against the Turks
because they are Christian. He also supports the Armenians against
Turkey and Azerbaijan because the Armenians are Christian. Mr. Sarkozy
is one of the supporters of the clash of civilizations in Europe."
One of the Turkish diplomats in Ankara told the JTW that the Greeks
were accepted as full EU member though they rejected all peace plans
in 2004. "The EU did not keep its words in Cyprus issue and now they
blame Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots for the problems regarding the
Cyprus issue" he added.
Many in Turkey believe in that the EU will never accept Turkey as full
member because the EU is a Christian club. Most of the Middle Eastern
countries, including Egypt, Israel, Palestine, Syria, Saudi Arabia,
Algeria, Jordan and Iran, declared that they fully support Turkey's
EU membership.
Sarkozy: Turkey is not European
Nicholas Sarkozy had opened his anti-Turkish campaign on the eve of
the critical EU constitution referendum in France in May 2005.
"Israel and Lebanon have more European values than Turkey," Sarkozy
had said, meeting with university students in Paris. Describing Turkey
as an "Asian country," Sarkozy had said, "I'm not against the Turks
or Muslims, but I'm not for the EU membership of an Asian state."
"I don't want to see the Kurdish, Hizbullah and Palestine problems
become European problems," Sarkozy, who is touted by many as the next
French president, continued. "I don't want a Europe, which will be
neighboring Iraq or Iran." However Mr. Sarkozy have been champion of
French involvement in Kurdish and Lebanon issues.
More than 100 million Muslims live in Europe yet no Muslim country
has been accepted as the full member to the EU including Turkey,
Azerbaijan, Albania, Bosnia and Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus
(TRNC).
http://www.turkishweekly.net/news. php?id=38109