Chirac: The Engagement Has Been Extended, But It Will End in Marriage

Zaman Online, Turkey
Dec 18 2004

French President Jacques Chirac said that he believed the
realization of the Turkey-European Union marriage.

Chirac, who held a press conference after the end of the European
Council meeting, answered a question on whether Turkey would become
a member after a 10 year engagement, “If we take Turkey’s current
history and culture as a criteria, I believe that the Turkey-EU
marriage will happen.” He also added that Turkey’s turn to the West
will be beneficial for Europe. Determining that negotiations might
go on for 10 or 15 years, Chirac advocated that the result could
not be predicted from now though membership would not be possible
before 2014. The French President announced that if Turkey does not
sign the extended protocol of the Ankara Agreement including Cyprus,
negotiations could not begin. On a question from an Armenian reporter
on whether Ankara’s recognition of the “Armenian genocide” could be
set as a pre-condition for the full membership, Chirac answered that
Turkey’s full membership would be taken to referendum in France. He
also added that in case Turkey does not “search its memory” concerning
the Armenians, the French public may say “no” for Turkey and went
on, “A search of its memory in the European spirit is a natural and
irreversible necessity.”