FRENCH FM TO VISIT TURKEY

The Associated Press
International Herald Tribune, France
Oct 5 2007

ANKARA, Turkey: France’s foreign minister was to visit Turkey
on Friday to help improve relations that have soured over French
president Nicolas Sarkozy’s opposition to Ankara’s bid to join the
European Union.

Turkey is also upset by French moves to make the denial of Armenian
genocide a crime and by what it says is French reluctance to prosecute
or extradite suspected Kurdish rebels wanted by Turkey.

Turkey acknowledges that great numbers of Armenians were killed in
fighting and mass expulsions in the early part of the last century,
but vehemently rejects the label of genocide. The Turkish government
ended military ties with France over the genocide bill.

Bernard Kouchner is scheduled to meet President Abdullah Gul, Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Ali Babacan during
his one-day visit.

In contrast to Sarkozy, Kouchner supports Turkey’s EU bid and suggested
recently that he was trying to persuade the French president to soften
his opposition.

Sarkozy repeatedly said during his presidential campaign earlier this
year that he preferred an EU partnership with Turkey rather than full
membership. He recently softened his stance by saying he would not
block Turkish accession – which is many years away.

Kouchner, a longtime Socialist, joined Sarkozy’s conservative Cabinet
as part of the president’s effort to reach across the political
spectrum, but said he retains his own attitudes within the government.