France’s parliament to debate Turkish candidacy for EU
Associated Press Worldstream
October 11, 2004 Monday
PARIS — Under pressure from its own lawmakers, France’s government
said Monday that a parliamentary debate on Turkey’s hopes of joining
the European Union would be held this week.
Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin asked that the National Assembly’s
agenda be amended to allow the debate to take place Thursday afternoon
and evening, the government said in a brief statement.
Lawmakers from President Jacques Chirac’s Union for a Popular Movement
(UMP) and from other parties have been pushing for a debate on Turkey’s
EU aspirations before Dec. 17. That is when EU leaders are to finalize
an initial approval of membership talks.
The government statement did not say that parliament will get to vote
on the issue after its debate – as many lawmakers want.
UMP lawmaker Dominique Paille said Monday that about 100 of the
governing party’s legislators want a vote. The centrist UDF has also
called for a vote.
Chirac, however, indicated Sunday that he is opposed.
France’s constitution empowers presidents to negotiate and ratify
international treaties, and Chirac said a parliamentary consultation
on Turkey must conform “to the spirit and to the letter of our
constitution.”
Chirac’s support of membership talks for Turkey places him at odds
with many lawmakers and French opinion.
Three-quarters of 893 people interviewed for a Louis Harris poll
released Monday said they oppose Turkey joining the bloc, which
currently has 25 member nations. The poll was conducted by telephone
Oct. 8-9. In another poll of 957 people, two-thirds said they want
a referendum on membership talks for Turkey before the Dec. 17 EU
summit. The CSA agency conducted the poll by phone on Oct. 6-7. The
margin error for both was plus or minus 3 percent.
Turkey’s ambassador to France said in an interview published Monday
that his country would have “no problem” joining the EU if it were
Christian and that its Muslim heritage is the real issue behind the
current debate.
“The real motive for this reticence, especially in France, is
religion,” Uluc Ozulker told the daily Le Parisien. “If Turkey were
Christian, there would be no problem. But, voila, we are a Muslim
country.”
Ozulker said Europe “is not a Christian enclave” and Turkey joining
the EU “will not denature Europe” despite its population of some
70 million.
“We share the same democratic values as the 25,” he said, adding that
Turkey is already part of the customs union.
Turkey has carried out some needed reforms such as abolishing the
death penalty and cutting back the power of the military in politics.
Asked if Turkey would recognize the Armenian genocide, the ambassador
said that it has yet to be proven. Armenia accuses Turkey of the
genocide of up to 1.5 million Armenians between 1915 and 1919, when
Armenia was under the Ottoman Empire. Turkey rejects the claim and
says Armenians were killed in civil unrest during the collapse of
the empire.
“It’s up to international and impartial historians to meet and
decide,”Ozulker said. “We will accept the results of their work.”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress