France reaffirms support for Turkey's bid for EU

[BlackRain]

PARIS, July 21 (Xinhuanet) -- Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan ended Wednesday his visit to France, getting France's support for Turkey's bid for the European Union (EU) and signing an agreement to buy 36 Airbus planes.

Erdogan arrived in Paris on Monday evening and was received during his three-day stay by French President Jacques Chirac, Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin, French speaker Jean-Louis Debre and President of the Senate Christian Poncelet.

Chirac noted that Turkey had made some considerable progress and should continue and intensify its democratic and economic reforms.

Erdogan thanked Chirac for the "constructive approach" and "France's totally positive attitude."

However, French parties and public opinions do not share the same view on Turkey's entry into the European Union. Although the opposition Socialist party said Monday it supports Turkey's bid "as long as the accession criteria are respected," the ruling Unionfor a Popular Movement and its junior partner the Union for FrenchDemocracy are skeptical.

Now Turkey's application bid is approaching a critical time as the European Commission is expected to announce its view in October on a possible opening of negotiations, followed by a decision on December 17 in Brussels by European leaders on whetherenough progress has been made towards the EU's reform demands.

The 25-member EU will judge then Turkey's progress in the fields of democracy, human rights and market economy.

The Turkish prime minister also lobbied French entrepreneurs toback Turkey's EU bid and to seize the opportunities to invest in his country with a population of 70 million, when he met with a hundred of representatives of the French Movement of enterprises, France's largest association grouping 750,000 private employers from all walks of life.

His trip ended with the signing of a deal between European aircraft maker Airbus and Turkish Airlines under which the Turkishcarrier will buy five Airbus A330/200 planes, 12 A321/200s and 19 A320/200s

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Haha I don't know where you get your bull**** from but France have long been the ones standing in the way of turkey joining the EU. Read up on Giscard d'Estaing before you post more crap in an attempt to bash France.

[BlackRain]

Chirac, Bush Spar Over Turkey's Admission to the E.U.
By Marc Perelman
July 2, 2004

PARIS — President Bush's latest tour of Europe, aimed at fence mending, instead has touched off another round of Franco-American feuding, with Bush and French President Jacques Chirac trading barbs over everything from NATO's role in Iraq to Yasser Arafat's role in Ramallah.

For many observers here, however, the most telling exchange was over the admission of Turkey to the European Union. Speaking in Istanbul, Bush said it should be speeded up, prompting Chirac to tell Bush bluntly to mind his own business. The exchange had an element of role reversal, with Bush speaking out for improved ties with a Muslim state while Chirac expressed barely disguised suspicion.

The testy exchange masked the fact that both leaders agree Turkey should become a full E.U. member, even if they disagree on the timing. But for Chirac, as for much of Europe, the Turkey question opens up a larger question of how to cope with the growing presence of Islam on the continent.

As Chirac's outburst hinted, much of Europe is reluctant to admit a Muslim country to its core at a time when it is struggling to integrate Muslim immigrants, many of whom are marginalized and some of whom are attracted to radical Islam.

France's population of 60 million is nearly 10% Muslim, and other West European countries are not far behind.

Muslim youths are believed to be behind a spate of antisemitic incidents that have plagued Europe in the past three years. In the last two weeks alone, vandals in London torched two synagogues and a yeshiva student was stabbed and seriously wounded in Antwerp.

"Even though most E.U. countries publicly say they are in favor of Turkey's admission, there is a clear reluctance in private to integrate a Muslim country that would become the E.U.'s largest member after Germany, at a time when countries are faced with serious integration problems," a European diplomat said, noting that France was a perfect example of such a dilemma.

Turkey, with 70 million people, would be the second-largest country in the E.U. after Germany.

Within the E.U., Germany is the most vocal supporter of Turkey's admission. French public opinion is largely opposed, and Chirac's own conservative party campaigned against Turkish admission in last month's balloting for the European Parliament. Chirac himself claims, nevertheless, that Ankara's membership is irreversible, pointedly noting Turkey's "very ancient European vocation."

However, he stressed that the negotiations would be long and difficult and that no entry date should be set. That puts him at odds with Bush's repeated calls for the E.U. to expedite its promise to begin admission talks with Ankara.

The E.U. promised Turkey that it would open talks back in 1963, but they were stalled for decades by criticism of Turkey's flawed democratic system. More recently, Ankara's progress toward democracy has forced Europeans to re-examine the justification for delaying negotiations, even though the dispute over Cyprus still is unsolved and may defer talks further.

While some mainstream European politicians openly question whether Turkey would fit in an entity defined by its Judaeo-Christian heritage, most have endorsed Turkey's candidacy.

For France, however, the Turkey question arises at a time when the government is engaged in a delicate balancing act with its Muslim population of 5 to 6 million. On one hand, the government has shown a marked inclination in the past year to take on radical Islam as it enforces a crackdown on the wave of antisemitic incidents perpetrated mainly by disgruntled Arab youths. As part of this effort, the government has taken some steps that have angered some Muslims, including a law banning from public schools the Muslim headscarf and other religious symbols. On the other hand, the government has sought to establish a dialogue with the Muslim community, by setting up an official representative body for French Muslims two years ago. The government also has invested heavily in programs to improve Muslims' social and economic integration in French society.

Given the pressures, Bush's implicit criticism of the E.U.'s reluctance to open itself to the Muslim world through Turkey is seen in Paris as provocative. When Bush invokes Turkey's E.U. membership as a way to avoid a clash of civilizations, French officials see it as a public relations ploy to improve America's badly damaged image in the Middle East. Some also call it an attempt to sow divisions within the E.U. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's controversial distinction on the eve of the Iraq war between an "old Europe" and a "new Europe" prompted furious accusations on the continent that Washington was trying to divide Europe in order to weaken it as a competitor on the world stage.

The tensions boiled over last weekend in Istanbul during a NATO summit focusing on Iraq and Afghanistan, after Bush made a forceful appeal to the E.U. to start negotiations with Turkey.

"If President Bush really said that in the way that I read, then not only did he go too far, but he went into territory that isn't his," Chirac told reporters. "It is not his place and his role to give any advice to the E.U., and in this area it was a bit as if I were to tell Americans how they should handle their relationship with Mexico."

In an address at Galatasaray University in Istanbul Tuesday, Bush kept up the pressure despite Chirac's criticism. Turkey is moving to meet the criteria for E.U. membership, he said, and "America believes that as a European power, Turkey belongs in the European Union."

At a press conference the same day, while noting that Bush had shown much more openness in recent weeks than in the past and that both countries were friends and allies, Chirac added that this did not mean being "servants."

The spat comes against a backdrop of U.S.-French tensions that have heightened in recent days after months of relative calm. U.S. officials were incensed by France's refusal to permit a formal NATO military role in Iraq — the alliance agreed to train Iraqi troops, but France blocked a formal presence on Iraqi soil — and by its blocking of a broader NATO role in Afghanistan. Chirac also took an opportunity to challenge U.S. policy on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, claiming that the isolation of Arafat was hindering talks.

The next step in the Turkish admission process will be a recommendation in October from the E.U.'s executive arm, the European Commission. The E.U. will decide whether to open negotiations with Ankara at a summit in December.

[BlackRain]

Haha I don't know where you get your bull**** from but France have long been the ones standing in the way of turkey joining the EU. Read up on Giscard d'Estaing before you post more crap in an attempt to bash France.


Dude, take a chill pill.

Want more proof about Chirac deciding to let Turkey join the EU, read on:


Le Monde: Chirac Supports Turkey


Today's edition of France's Le Monde newspaper reports that French President Jacques Chirac confirmed that Paris will support Turkey's bid for European Union (EU) membership.

The article entitled "EU: Chirac supports Turkey" says that Chirac reiterated his support of Turkey. "Turkey's integration with Europe will possibly be acceptable," Chirac reportedly expressed.

Le Monde reminds that Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has negotiated with the French Public Movement Union, the Socialist Party in power and the leaders of the parliament and senate. In addition to meting with Chirac, Erdogan also met with French Prime Minister Jean Pierre Raffarin during his 3-day official visit.

The newspaper stresses that Erdogan has struggled to change the negative atmosphere towards Turkey's EU membership prior to the European Parliament elections.


Please explain in your infinite logic how posting news about Turkey joining the EU is a bash on France??? This is big news.

[Zarathustra]

Please explain in your infinite logic how posting news about Turkey joining the EU is a bash on France??? This is big news.


Turkey in Europe is actually impossible, for a few reasons, like the humans right ( important, right ? ) but in the future, why not ? It will take a while i think...

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Ok, I did jump the gun a bit. I don't mind some of the posts but the ones that move to suggest the islamification of France or Europe are articles the BNP would be proud of.

[BlackRain]

Outlining his goals for his country's six-month EU presidency before the European Parliament, Dutch Premier Jan-Peter Balkenende has called for fairness in deciding whether to start accession talks with Turkey.

Speaking before the newly elected parliament in Strasbourg on Wednesday, the Christian Democrat said EU countries must not be guided by a fear of Islam when deciding about the bloc's future relationship with Turkey.

"Resistance towards a religion is not consistent European values," Balkenende said. " Our resistance has to be focussed on people who abuse worshipping God to propagate violence."


In December, EU leaders will decide whether Turkey meets the political and economic criteria to begin negotiations towards joining the bloc at some point in the future. That process is expected to take at least 10 years.

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Turkey applied to join the EU back in the 80s that's before ALL of the countries that joined this year and before East Germany aswell.

[Jehuty]

Another silly thread title brought to you by Black Rain.
Chirac is not even backed up by his own party on this issue.

[moughoun]

No offence to the French here,but it's not their call, it must be a unanimous vote for Turkey to join, and lately the Greek's haven't been accomodating :|

[oldsoak]

No offence to the French here,but it's not their call, it must be a unanimous vote for Turkey to join, and lately the Greek's haven't been accomodating :|

Whats Irelands take on this moughoun ? I used to read the internet version of the Irish times but now you have to pay.

[moughoun]

No offence to the French here,but it's not their call, it must be a unanimous vote for Turkey to join, and lately the Greek's haven't been accomodating :|

Whats Irelands take on this moughoun ? I used to read the internet version of the Irish times but now you have to pay.

Difficult to tell at the moment, it isn't really debated here,but some have raised the issue, 70 million Turk's, problems with the Kurd's, extreme nationlism, human right's, the place of the military in the Country that kind of thing, so maybe Turkey's isn't ready for us, and we deffinatly aren't ready for them

[Shadow]

bah let's make Europe one big country!
One economy
One army
One a government
one nation
several languages and cultures