EU AID COMMISSIONER MICHEL REACTS TO CHIRAC
By Cihan News Agency

Zaman, Turkey
Oct 3 2006

European Commissioner Louis Michel responded to French President
Jacques Chirac, who said during a visit to Armenia that Turkey should
recognize the so-called Armenian genocide to become a European Union
(EU) member.

Belgian Commissioner Michel stated on Sunday that the EU could not
produce new political criteria regarding Turkey’s EU membership.

Commissioner Michel stressed that some people are trying to change the
rules after the game has begun. "We have to understand the importance
of Turkey," he stressed. Michel added that Turkey was important for
the bloc and it played a key role in the region, citing that one
must merely look at the crossroads of energy pipelines to see how
important Turkey was.

"Turkey needs the EU, but the EU needs Turkey more," Michel
highlighted.

When asked whether Turkey should recognize the "genocide" to join
the European Union, Chirac said: "Honestly, I believe it should. Each
country grows by acknowledging its dramas and mistakes of the past"
during a visit to the Armenian capital Yerevan.