‘Chirac, the head of state, supports Turkey’s EU bid’

ANKARA – Turkish Daily News
22 December 2004

‘French public opinion has anxieties concerning Turkey’s EU bid,
that’s why the President decided on a referendum,’ says Poudade

ANKARA – Turkish Daily News

French Ambassador to Turkey Paul Poudade said yesterday in Konya that
France was actually in favor of Turkey’s European Union membership;
however, French Public opinion still had a skeptical attitude
concerning the issue, reported Anatolia news agency.

Poudade visited historic places in Konya including the Mevlana Dervish
Lodge (Mevlana Dergahý), presently used as a museum. Jalal-ud-din Rumi,
known as “Mevlana” meaning “our guide,” advocated unlimited tolerance,
positive reasoning, goodness, charity and awareness through love.

Responding to a question related to Mevlana’s doctrine of tolerance
and Turkey’s bid to the EU as a Muslim dominated country, Poudade
rejected the assumption that the greatest resistance against Turkey’s
EU bid in the Christian dominated member states was observed in France.

“Our President supports Turkey’s accession to the EU. For the French,
president is the head of the state. French public opinion has anxieties
on this issue, that’s why the President decided such a thing like
referendum,” Anatolia quoted Poudade as saying.

The public opposition against Turkey is rather strong in France and
the French parliament was set to debate yesterday Turkish membership
in the union. The alleged Armenian genocide at the start of the last
century was also expected to be discussed at parliament as a matter
related to Turkey’s EU process.

Chirac, soon after the EU leaders agreed at a summit last week in
Brussels to open accession talks with Turkey, said that Turkey would
have to address a number of issues before entry.

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