Print

Mail

wiki links

Turkey doesn't belong, Giscard tells shocked EU

The elder statesman drafting a constitution for the EU sparked a furore on Friday by saying Turkey was not a European country and its entry would be "the end of the European Union."

Former French President Valery Giscard d'Estaing, 76, head of the Convention on the Future of Europe, told the newspaper Le Monde that those who backed Ankara's candidacy were "the adversaries of the European Union".

His outspoken comments caused uproar and embarrassment in Brussels and outraged Turkish representatives in the Convention. One European Parliament member, Swedish Socialist Jan Andersson, called for his resignation.

The European Commission was quick to distance itself from the comments, which heightened controversy within the 15-nation bloc over the EU's eventual borders once it concludes accession talks with 10 mainly east European candidates next month.

European Parliament President Pat Cox pointedly reminded Giscard that he was no longer president of France and suggested he should stick to his job of running the Convention and leave enlargement to EU heads of state and government.

Alluding to Turkey's Muslim population and high birthrate, Giscard said the country had "a different culture, a different approach, a different way of life" and its demographic dynamism would potentially make it the biggest EU member state.

"Its capital is not in Europe, 95 percent of its population live outside Europe, it is not a European country," he said.

Admitting Turkey, an official candidate since 1999, would go "outside the continent" and prompt demands to admit other Middle Eastern and North African states, starting with Morocco.

Asked what the effect would be, he said: "In my opinion, it would be the end of the European Union."

Giscard reflected in blunt language what many EU politicians whisper privately, but his statement came at a particularly delicate time when Brussels needs Turkey's cooperation to solve several problems related to enlargement.

It is seeking Ankara's support for a U.N.-brokered effort to reunite Cyprus before the island joins the bloc in 2004, and it needs Turkish assent to arrangements assuring Europe's rapid reaction force of access to NATO military planning and assets.

"The nature of the EU's relations with Turkey is extremely strategic. The moment is particularly sensitive, just a few days after the Turkish elections and just a few weeks before the Copenhagen (EU) summit. It is a time for measured strategic evaluation and prudent self-expression," Cox said in a statement.

Ali Tekin, Turkish parliamentary representative in the 105-member Convention, branded Giscard "a Christian fundamentalist. He thinks the EU is a Christian club".

But the head of the party set to form Turkey's next government, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, played down the comments as "nothing more than emotion".

Swedish Prime Minister Goran Persson said on a visit to Finland: "By recognizing Turkey as a candidate country the EU has confirmed that we share the country's ambition of becoming a member."
This story has been viewed 1806 times.