Germany and France to take common position on Turkey

German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder seemed firmer in his wish to see Turkey in the EU, saying that although the process is "open-ended", "the goal is accession and nothing else". Mr Chirac has recently declared support for a "third way" with Turkey, stopping short of full accession but offering Ankara a "privileged partnership". And he was quick to remind a sceptical audience in France that "if all the conditions are not fulfilled, then the negotiation will stop"... A draft of the conclusions for a meeting of EU leaders this month, circulated by the Dutch EU Presidency on Monday (29 November), set conditions that would mean Ankara having to recognise Cyprus and accept permanent restrictions on the movement of its workers.

same source:

Chirac sets three conditions for Turkey's EU bid
by Lisbeth Kirk
Dec 6 2004
A French referendum on the Constitution is expected already in Spring of next year. "If there is a link between Turkey and the constitution, we will lose the referendum. It's as simple as that", the French foreign minister Michel Barnier was quoted saying by the Financial Times. The debate about Turkey's EU membership continues in the EU's largest member state, Germany. The leaders of the CDU and CSU, Angela Merkel and Edmund Stoiber, have sent a letter to the German Chancellor, out of "great concern" about Europe's future. In it, they ask Gerhard Schröder to prevent membership negotiations with Turkey, due to be agreed at the end of next week, from leading to full EU membership. While EU countries are internally split over the future course towards Turkey, Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived on Sunday evening for a two-day historic visit to Turkey - the first visit by a Russian president since 1972.
Chirac may bring forward Constitution poll date
by Honor Mahony
Dec 3 2004
Following the strong vote in favour of the European Constitution by French Socialists, President Jacques Chirac is considering holding a national poll on the Treaty earlier than expected... The referendum will be in Spring according to officials close to the President and it is just a case of deciding whether it will be April or May, reports the newspaper. The Socialist referendum, which took place on Wednesday, saw the 'yes' camp receive 58 percent of the vote, while the "no" camp got 42 percent - with a very high turnout. Of the 102 Socialist regional federations, only 26 voted against the Constitution.

Chirac doesn't dare bring Turkey into the EU until the the French have time to vote on the EU constitution. But I doubt that anyone is fooled by his obfuscation, even in France. Meanwhile, Russia moves to build a new alliance system in the Middle East and screw things up for everyone else (again).

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"Tall cold glass of reality thrown right in the face" ping, or perhaps "naked fear / pee-pants" ping.

German Socialists have hard words for Turkey
by Honor Mahony
March 21 2005
A leading Socialist MEP has warned that without further reform by Turkey and legal recognition by Ankara of Cyprus, there will be no opening of EU talks later this year.,, The German MEP also said that recent events in Turkey were a "cause for worry" citing the brutal crackdown by police earlier this month against demonstrators ahead of international women's day and then the harsh reaction by Ankara to EU criticism of the event... His words are especially remarkable as, to date, Socialist politicians, particularly from Germany, have been strong supporters of Turkey's entry into the European Union.

It was the Greek population, led by Makarios, who rejected (in the early 1960s) power-sharing (which is part of what socialists like to call "diversity"). In 2004, the Greek Cypriotes rejected the negotiated settlement of all issues at the ballot box. Cyprus is divided, has been for over thirty years. Saying it has to be unified is no different -- no different -- than saying Hispaniola has to be.

Of course, these German Socialists will back down on this, or risk splitting the gov't, a no-confidence vote, and a tumble from power. Or, the rest of the ruling coalition will see it the same way, and block Turkey from joining.

Chirac points to third way on Turkey
by Honor Mahony
Nov 11 2004
Speaking on Sunday in Marseilles, Mr Chirac said, "Either it works and Turkey joins with all our values. This will take 10 to 15 years" or on the other hand, he said "... Turkey cannot or will not make the necessary effort, then we will stop. There is a third hypothesis that in three to four years, things have progressed but there are still obstacles that we will not surmount. We will therefore need to find another solution, to create a sufficiently strong link for our ambitions for peace and co-operation but without integration into the EU", said the French President... Countries such as Austria and the Netherlands may favour moves in this direction. Mr Chirac's words are intended as a reassurance to French citizens - a majority of whom have doubts about Turkey joining the bloc.

That one is a "baffle them with BS" ping. The harder the US presses on Turkey into the EU, the more obvious it is that Europe is no ally of Ankara. The question becomes, will Turkey then turn to its not too neighborly neighbors? Or to its brutally repressed ethnic groups, at least one of which (the Kurds) wants an independent homeland? The French et al helped keep Turkey from helping the US with the liberation of Iraq, by dangling the prospect of EU membership (yet again) if it didn't help, and the prospect of outright rejection if it did. Talk about hitching your wagon to a star...

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