Posted on 03/29/2007 4:46:30 AM PDT by wolf78
Turkey Frowns at EU's Beer Mug Farewell Gift to France's Chirac
An antique beer mug presented to French President Jacques Chirac as an EU going-away present has drawn criticism from EU-hopeful Turkey for reportedly depicting an 18th century Ottoman defeat by the French.
"The European Union should concern itself with the future rather than the past," Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gül told reporters when asked about the mug.
"If the EU has a future vision, it should look to the future," he said. "Harping on the past does not befit the EU vision."
Turkish newspapers said that the mug depicted Napoleon's 1799 victory over Ottoman forces in Egypt and reflected hostility towards Turkey.
It was given to Chirac as a retirement gift by German Chancellor Angela Merkel at celebrations of the EU's 50th anniversary over the weekend.
Merkel is opposed to full membership for Turkey and has instead advocated a special partnership with the sizeable mainly Muslim country.
Mixed feelings about Turkey's accession
Turkey's bid suffered a serious blow in December when the EU froze its membership talks in eight of the 35 policy areas that candidates are required to complete in response to Ankara's refusal to grant trade privileges to Cyprus.
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The things people get themselves in a snit about, for goodness sakes.
I'll bet there are lots of places that Turk isn't invited.
When was the last day Muslims didn´t complain about the "Western arrogance"? The day before Mohammed decided to invent "Islam"??
Next Turkey will pass a law which prohibits all depictions of Ottoman defeats as a hate crime.
You will be allowed to write Turkey left voluntarily because the French promised to stay moslem.
If they weren't such vicious animals, their obvious inferiority complex would almost be amusing.
"The European Union should concern itself with the future rather than the past," Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gül told reporters when asked about the mug.
The Turkish Foreign Minister is clearly the one concerned with the past, & a sore loser as well.
LOL! Maybe if Pres. Bush visits Germany, Chancellor Merkel will present him with a mug depicting the explosion of a big, black cube in the desert. That's a future concern that we would welcome.
This is easily the post of the day. Gets my vote.
The Turks, too many of whom are dedicated to using 21st century technology to enable their 14th century civilization to drag all of humanity all the way back to the 7th century, should avoid past/future comparisons in their official pronouncements.
STFU you dammed pissant
That is funny. Merkel knew EXACTLY what she was doing, and Chirac got it immediately. France has been stubbornly opposed to Turkey entering the EU. This was a very clever gift. Merkel gave it with meaning, Chirac got the meaning and appreciated it, and the Turks, far away in Istanbul, got it too and went nuts, proving Chirac's point (with which Merkel no doubt agrees but can't say publicly). A brilliant little diplomatic barb.
What makes it sublime is that the Turks look like sensitive whiners and not-ready-for-prime-time (or EU membership) by their reaction. There is a wonderful plausible deniability to the whole thing, as in "Good gracious, it's a BEER mug (as in: designed to hold alcohol, particularly beer, which Germans and French love and which Muslims and Mormons hate), and it's old, and depicts some event in history, SURELY no modern European could get offended by that sort of thing!" It is akin to the British making sure that the Eurostar from Paris terminates in Waterloo Station, except the French were clever enough not to fall into the trap set for them, while the Turks, well, they proved Chirac right by their sensitivity on so small and "innocent" a thing as a beer mug. Heh heh heh.
Just as soon as they get over the Crusades.
Here's a joke told to me by a Mormon:
Q: Why should you always go fishing with 2 Mormons?
A: Because if you go with one, he'll drink all your beer.
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