Posted on 06/28/2004 10:31:08 AM PDT by Pikamax
New French-US chill as Chirac slams Bush over Turkey's EU bid
28 June 2004 ATTENTION -, ADDS details, background /// Newly warmed Franco-US relations went suddenly cold again Monday when French President Jacques Chirac said George W. Bush had "gone too far" in supporting Turkey's bid to join the European Union.
Chirac's reprimand also dampened the atmosphere at a two-day NATO summit where leaders sought to present a united front after divisions over Iraq provoked the worst crisis in the 55-year history of the Western alliance.
The French president said that Bush had "gone too far" in remarks he made during a visit to the Turkish capital, Ankara, before the summit.
Bush, as part of attempts to repair the damage done to relations with Turkey by last year's US-led invasion of Iraq, publicly said before talks with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday:
"I will remind the people of this good country that you ought to be given a date by the EU for your eventual acceptance into the EU."
He described Turkey as "a country which embraces democracy and rule of law and freedom" and an example for other Muslim states to follow.
"Not only did he go too far, he ventured into territory which is not his concern," Chirac told a news conference on the sidelines of a two-day summit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation here.
"It would be like me telling the United States how to run its affairs with Mexico," he added.
Turkey, a formal candidate of the newly enlarged 25-strong bloc since 1999, is keen for the go-ahead to begin membership talks with the bloc when EU leaders meet in December to assess its progress in democracy and human rights.
Turkey argues that it has met most of the criteria required to begin membership talks, but Brussels has said it must also see the reforms properly implemented.
Relations between France and the United States hit freezing point last year when Chirac led opposition to the US-led invasion of Iraq by publicly threatening to veto a UN Security Council resolution to authorize it.
They began to thaw when Chirac greeted Bush at ceremonies in Normandy on June 6 to commemorate the 1944 D-Day landings and said France had adopted the young American soldiers who died there as its own sons.
And they positively warmed after France joined the rest of the UN Security Council in voting for Resolution 1546 on June 8 which endorsed the new interim Iraqi government that took over from the US-led occupation force on Monday.
But the personal irritation between Chirac and Bush was never far away and was evident when the French leader was the only participant at this month's G8 meeting in Georgia to ignore Bush's invitation to dress informally.
Although Chirac's Union for a Popular Movement party (UMP) has said it opposes Turkish entry into the EU, the French leader said in April that he favoured Ankara's eventual accession.
But, speaking days before the EU's historic expansion to embrace 10 mostly former communist countries, Chirac warned that Turkey had not yet met the conditions to join.
"I believe that Turkey has a European vocation. But the conditions for its entry are not fulfilled today," he said.
He nevertheless said Turkey "has always been associated with European civilisation," and was an "important and loyal member of the Atlantic alliance."
Mr. Pot, I believe you know Mr. Kettle.
/sarcasm off: WHo cares?
Pissing contest between the Turks and the frogs? I say let them bleed each other white. We have no friends in that fight; traitors, the both of them.
Bush went too far? Chirac is telling us how to run our affairs at every turn.
I don't know if he has tried to tell us how to manage our affairs with Mexico, but he sure can't keep his mouth shut when it comes to our affairs with Iraq.
Maybe some of Chirac's Muslim relatives are prompting him?
Even a couple of hundred degrees above absolute zero is still cold enough to kill ya. The frogs will never be higher on the coldness scale for most Americans.
France sees itself as a Major Power, with a "sphere of influence" - it thinks that it should be able to dominate within that area, hence Chirac other outburst against Central and Eastern European nations that supported the United States. Also Ch-Irak has poor Geo knowledge - Turkey is about 1000 miles from France. the United States borders Mexico.
Divide and Conquer Strategery Bump!
Just knowing that advocating for Turkey to enter the EU is enough to irritate Chirac makes it sounds like a good policy.
Vice President Cheney needs to reply to Jacqass Chirac on this one.
More succinctly, who the F (French) is Chirac to declare what our President can or can't take a position on? Turkey is a NATO ally, and I should think the USA has every right to support Turkey on any issue we please.
Actually the Turks did get around to sending 10,000 peacekeepers, but the Kurds blocked it for their own particular concerns.
I am reading Sammon's book Misunderestimated (highly recommended read).
Chirac is nicknamed in EU as Chirac Iraq!
In 1972, Saddam and France forged a deal and when it was highly criticized by the world community, Saddam released a statement that said an attack on France would be considered an attack on Iraq. Hah!
I musta blinked and missed that.
What say you Dick?
The French copywrited "rude"...
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