TURKISH, FRENCH MINISTERS DISCUSS TUKEY’S EU ACCESSION BID, ARMENIAN BILL

Anatolia News Agency, Turkey
Oct 5 2007

Ankara, 5 October: Foreign Minister Ali Babacan told his French
counterpart Bernard Kouchner during a meeting on Friday [5 October]
that Turkey would remain committed to membership bid in the [European]
Union and continue to pass reforms needed to enter the European club.

"I conveyed Mr Kouchner Turkey’s expectations from the EU to live up
to its promises and to avoid dragging Turkey into a discussion over
the future of the Union," Babacan told reporters at a joint press
conference in Ankara.

"We are happy to have Mr Kouchner here in Turkey and I believe our
high level contacts will play a major part to further improve bilateral
relations," Babacan said.

Babacan stated that during the meeting bilateral relations between
Turkey and France, and Turkey’s EU bid were taken up.

Babacan also said that 2009 was proclaimed as Turkey Season in France.

French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, in turn, qualified Turkey as
"an important partner" for his country, saying that the two countries
had an important history and knew each other well.

Making a joint appearance with Foreign Minister Ali Babacan at
a press conference on Friday, Kouchner said that he had a very
constructive meeting with his Turkish counterpart, adding that they
laid a foundation for future talks.

"Our two countries may not agree on every issue but we can work
anything by talking as Turkey and France have a lot to share,"
Kouchner told reporters.

Kouchner also rejected that French parliament’s resolution concerning
the incidents of 1915 in Ottoman Turkey was "a threat" for Turkey.

Answering a question on Iran’s nuclear programme, Kouchner said France
would continue dialogue with the country.

"I want to make clear that France did not toughen its stance towards
Iran. Iran is a big country which we respect and our negotiations
will continue. And Iran has to abide by international agreements,"
Kouchner said.

Ali Babacan conveyed his French counterpart Brenard Kouchner during
a meeting on Friday Turkey’s concerns over a resolution regarding
Armenian allegations on the incidents of 1915 in Ottoman Turkey,
and the terrorist organization PKK [Kurdistan Workers’ Party],
diplomatic sources said.

Babacan stressed that the resolution, which criminalizes any rejection
of the Armenian allegations, should not come to the Senate floor.

Turkish foreign minister also sought France’s support for Turkey’s
proposal to set up a joint commission of historians, which would
study on the incidents of 1915.

Babacan also told Kouchner about Turkey’s uneasiness over the escape
of PKK terrorist Nedim Sever, who is considered as the head of PKK’s
financial network, just a couple of months after Riza Altun escaped,
another PKK terrorist who were tried without custody in France.