Chirac: Turkey Needs a ‘Cultural Revolution’ To Join E.U.
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BRUSSELS, Belgium -President Chirac said yesterday that Turkey would need to undergo a “major cultural revolution” before entering the European Union, and he reiterated that France would hold a referendum on admitting Ankara to the bloc.
The comments by Mr. Chirac represented the tough road ahead in Turkey’s membership in the 25-nation European Union. It took last-minute wrangling after two days of arduous talks between E.U. foreign ministers to overcome Austrian objections to start the negotiations.
The entry talks are expected to last for at least 10 years before the European Union can absorb Turkey and stretch its borders to the Middle East. There is broad opposition among Europeans to admitting the poor, predominantly Muslim nation of 70 million people.
“Will it succeed? I cannot say. I hope so. But I am not at all sure,” Mr. Chirac said at a news conference in Paris.
It will be “a considerable effort” for Turkey,” he said. “It is a major cultural revolution, “that will take “at minimum 10 to 15 years.”
He reiterated that Turkey’s membership would need to be approved by the French in a referendum. Austria also plans such a vote, and other countries may also decide to hold one.
“The French will have the last word, as it should be in a democracy,” he said. “We will see when the time comes.”
In Turkey, there was no immediate reaction to Mr. Chirac’s comments, which were reported by Turkish television, but Culture Minister Atilla Koc’s office said he was reviewing them. A spokesman for Prime Minister Erdogan, Akif Beki, was not immediately available for comment.
Prime Minister Blair of Britain, who currently holds the E.U. presidency, also said negotiations would take a long time, and would mean a “very big change” for the Europe and Turkey. “It will be an issue of controversy for years to come,” he told reporters in London.
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said Turkey’s entry is “neither guaranteed nor automatic.”
“Turkey must win the hearts and minds of European citizens. They are the ones who at the end of the day will decide about Turkey’s membership,” he said.
