INTERVIEW WITH PATRICK DEVEDJIAN: “TURKEY HAS GIVEN NO EVIDENCE OF DEMOCRACY”
Interviewed by Charles Jaigu

Le Figaro, France (Translated from French)
Oct 4 2005

[Jaigu] You have regained your seat as deputy on the eve of the
start of the negotiations with Turkey. Are you still demanding their
suspension?

[Devedjian] I want this because Turkey is not a democratic state. I
do not see why Erdogan’s Turkey should be exempted from what we
demanded from Salazar’s Portugal, the colonels’ Greece, and very
recently Croatia. [European Commission Vice-President] Guenter
Vergeugen’s 2004 report states that torture is no longer practised
“systematically”. How reassuring! I would add that the island of
Cyprus is now part of European territory and that the Turkish Army
occupies part of that territory. This is the first time in its history
that the EU has negotiated with an occupying army! Those who cite
[former French President] General de Gaulle really should realize
how scandalous this is.

[Jaigu] Is Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan not right to
criticize the opponents of Turkey’s candidacy for their adherence to a
“Christian club”?

[Devedjian] Europe is not a Christian club: it is a democrats’ club.

Mr Erdogan is in the worst position to accuse us Europeans of forming
a religious club. We must remember that he leads a country that
has driven out almost all Christians and Jews. By opposing northern
Cyprus’s EU membership, he denied many Muslims living there accession
to the Union.

[Jaigu] Is it not rather late to call for France to veto the start
of negotiations?

[Devedjian] Turkey has pledged to become a democratic country! But it
has given no evidence of it. On the contrary, it has promulgated a new
criminal code that destroys press freedom, it refuses to recognize
Cyprus, it still uses torture, and it refuses to countenance a
recognition of the Armenian genocide, which shows that it is unable
to come to terms with its past.

[Jaigu] Nicolas Sarkozy himself has chosen “not to exaggerate”
his disagreements with the president over the Turkish question. He
has pointed out that the French people will without fail vote in a
referendum once the negotiations are over.

[Devedjian] There has already been a first referendum, 29 May, which
amply demonstrated that the French public oppose Turkey’s accession
and the EU’s indefinite enlargement. At the same time, we cannot say
that we were wrong to “keep Turkey waiting” for 14 years, while at
the same time proposing to continue doing so for a further 15 years.

Our government can well use its veto rights, as Austria is considering
doing. I would point out that [Prime Minister] Dominique de Villepin
said on 2 August that it was impossible to envisage starting
negotiations until Turkey had recognized Cyprus. I would be pleased
with that stance, if it were to be maintained. But it seems to me
that the prime minister has abandoned it.

[Jaigu] What is your reply to Jean-Louis Debre, who said on Sunday
[2 October] that “if we do not honour political loyalty, we are living
in a republic that I do not like”?

[Devedjian] I am not a member of the government, so I am entirely free
to speak. My mandate has just been renewed by voters who often convey
to me their criticisms of the government for not taking account of
the referendum and allowing European enlargement by Turkey to take
place. I would also point out that Jean-Louis Debre, speaker of the
National Assembly, accused then Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin
of pursuing a “self-seeking” policy. Neither I nor my friends have
gone as far when speaking about a prime minister. In any case, a
distinction must be drawn between substantive criticisms, which are
constructive, and personal attacks, which are to be deplored.

[Jaigu] Nevertheless since last week we have seen a desire to calm
the climate on Nicolas Sarkozy’s part.

[Devedjian] I think that it is part of his role as party leader to
rally the coalition forces together while clearing the way ahead. But
he clearly has a responsibility to government solidarity, which also
explains his desire to calm the situation.

[Jaigu] According to a TNS-Sofres opinion poll conducted for Le
Figaro Magazine , Nicolas Sarkozy has been overtaken by Dominique de
Villepin in terms of popularity. The UMP chairman has apparently lost
some points, particularly among left-wing voters.

[Devedjian] Dominique de Villepin’s anti-US posture in 2003 greatly
pleased the left. But I would point out that if Dominique de Villepin
wants to compete in the second round of the presidential election he
first needs to be elected in the first round, and by the right.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress