Re: Sarkozy - Friend or Foe?
The Hypocrite simply changed his stance...
Sarkozy won't oppose resuming EU talks with Turkey
French President Nicolas Sarkozy said Monday that France would not oppose new negotiations between Turkey and the European Union, but remained resistant to full Turkish membership.
Sarkozy said such negotiations should include discussion of membership or a weaker alliance between Turkey and the EU, and said they should only take place after an EU-wide "reflection" on the future of the 27-member union.
"If this essential reflection on the future is launched by the 27, France will not oppose new negotiations between Turkey and the European Union in the coming months and years," Sarkozy said at an annual conference of French ambassadors where he laid out his plans for French foreign policy.
He added that the next "chapters" of negotiation should be "compatible with the two possible visions of the future of their relationship: either joining (as a member) or any association as tight as possible without attaining membership," Sarkozy said in a speech opening an annual conference of French ambassadors.
Sarkozy, who in the past vowed to halt Turkey's membership bid, reiterated Monday his preference for a weaker kind of partnership.
His stance on the issue runs against that of a majority of EU leaders, who back entry negotiations with Ankara.
Turkey's EU negotiations, which were launched amid much concern and hesitancy in October 2005, have made little progress. Talks have only opened in two of 35 policy areas where Turkey must incorporate EU legislation into its national rulebooks.
Sarkozy said he told the Turkish prime minister that any negotiations should start with the 30 chapters that do not require full membership, "and we'll see for the rest."
He described this as a solution that "does not betray the wish of France and the French but at the same time allows Turkey to have hope."
But he expressed hope that Turkey and France would improve relations, which have been strained over French resistance to Turkish membership. Better relations with Turkey are seen as crucial to Sarkozy's vision for a "Mediterranean Union" that he has championed.
Sarkozy has said his opposition to the Turkish bid was not directed against the Turkish people but rather was a question of defining Europe's borders.
URL: http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/...nce-Turkey.php
The Hypocrite simply changed his stance...
Sarkozy won't oppose resuming EU talks with Turkey
French President Nicolas Sarkozy said Monday that France would not oppose new negotiations between Turkey and the European Union, but remained resistant to full Turkish membership.
Sarkozy said such negotiations should include discussion of membership or a weaker alliance between Turkey and the EU, and said they should only take place after an EU-wide "reflection" on the future of the 27-member union.
"If this essential reflection on the future is launched by the 27, France will not oppose new negotiations between Turkey and the European Union in the coming months and years," Sarkozy said at an annual conference of French ambassadors where he laid out his plans for French foreign policy.
He added that the next "chapters" of negotiation should be "compatible with the two possible visions of the future of their relationship: either joining (as a member) or any association as tight as possible without attaining membership," Sarkozy said in a speech opening an annual conference of French ambassadors.
Sarkozy, who in the past vowed to halt Turkey's membership bid, reiterated Monday his preference for a weaker kind of partnership.
His stance on the issue runs against that of a majority of EU leaders, who back entry negotiations with Ankara.
Turkey's EU negotiations, which were launched amid much concern and hesitancy in October 2005, have made little progress. Talks have only opened in two of 35 policy areas where Turkey must incorporate EU legislation into its national rulebooks.
Sarkozy said he told the Turkish prime minister that any negotiations should start with the 30 chapters that do not require full membership, "and we'll see for the rest."
He described this as a solution that "does not betray the wish of France and the French but at the same time allows Turkey to have hope."
But he expressed hope that Turkey and France would improve relations, which have been strained over French resistance to Turkish membership. Better relations with Turkey are seen as crucial to Sarkozy's vision for a "Mediterranean Union" that he has championed.
Sarkozy has said his opposition to the Turkish bid was not directed against the Turkish people but rather was a question of defining Europe's borders.
URL: http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/...nce-Turkey.php
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