Posted on 04/05/2009 10:36:24 PM PDT by mojitojoe
PRAGUE (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama urged the European Union on Sunday to accept Turkey as a full member of the 27-nation bloc, in remarks rejected outright by France and met coolly by Germany.
The disagreement was a rare outward sign of divergence at an EU-U.S. summit stage-managed to relaunch trans-atlantic ties that were strained under the Bush administration and which both sides are now eager to mend.
"The United States and Europe must approach Muslims as our friends, neighbours and partners in fighting injustice, intolerance and violence, forging a relationship based on mutual respect and mutual interests," Obama told the summit.
"Moving forward towards Turkish membership in the EU would be an important signal of your (EU) commitment to this agenda and ensure that we continue to anchor Turkey firmly in Europe," he told EU leaders.
(Excerpt) Read more at uk.reuters.com ...
But there is resistance among EU states such as Germany and France to its membership, including among ruling conservatives.
Sarkozy said it was up to the EU member states to decide on Turkish entry and reiterated his opposition. "I have always been opposed to this entry," he told France's TF1 television.
"I still am and I think I can say that the immense majority of member states shares the position of France," he said.
"Turkey is a very great country, an ally of Europe, an ally of the United States. It will stay a privileged partner. My position hasn't changed and it won't change," he said.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said it was clearly in the interest of all to forge ties between the EU and the Muslim world, but asked to comment directly on Obama's remarks, she noted only: "It's clear there are different opinions."
Merkel said the form of any future connection between the EU and Turkey was still not clear, a reference to the possibility of a privileged partnership stopping short of actual membership -- a formula favoured by French and German conservatives.
Turkey isn’t a free country. You can be put into prison for publicly endorsing Christianity. Why do we want them to be part of the EU?
But Eurabia loves Obama.
Obama is an idiot for walking into this.
“The United States and Europe must approach Muslims as our friends, neighbours and partners in fighting injustice, intolerance and violence”
Because we all know how tolerant Turkey would be of us if we went there and openly practiced our Christianity. I am resigned to 8 years of this A-H*LE pardon my language. My biggest fears are 1. Michelle runs in 2016 2. The One finds a way to run in 2016 for a 3rd term.
Now we should stick their noses into the turd they laid.
0gabe is a Muslim stooge and kiss a$$, what do you expect. 0gabe’s priorities are the third world. Not Europe, Japan or any of our traditional allies
Hey Zero, it’s up to the EU. Nation building Obama does not like, but global alliance building? I’m leaning toward the Antichrist explanation again.
0Bama doesn’t have enough on his plate, that he feel the need to get involved with EU politics. I doubt that Turkey will ever get in there are too many problems with EU Muslims now.
Oh, rich! I’d forgotten about Turkey. Naturally, Obama would stand by his Muslim friends.
What makes you think we’ll ever have another election again?
...on bended knee and with a servile bow.
Correct and astute. Obama’s priorities are the third world.
His policies of weakening the US standing as a superpower is part and parcel of that plan.
Like his tax policies, Obama wants forced equality. That means cutting the USA down to size while pandering to Iran and Turkey, among others.
Hmmm...I seem to remember that in March 2003, the Turks refused to allow the U.S. Army's 4th infantry Division to disembark there and attack into Iraq from the north. That decision left Saddam and his cronies an escape route once Baghdad fell, and ultimately cost (at least) hundreds of American lives in the insurgency that broke out later that year.
Some ally. So screw the Turks.
of course he’d back turkey. they are a muslim country. does this surprise anyone?
Get over it Europe!
He's already told us that when the chips are down he's siding with the Muslims.
Hey - you wanted him!
"Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan rejected attempts to call Turkey the representative of moderate Islam. 'It is unacceptable for us to agree with such a definition. Turkey has never been a country to represent such a concept. Moreover, Islam cannot be classified as moderate or not,' Erdogan said, speaking at Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies late Thursday. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan rejected attempts to call Turkey the representative of moderate Islam.
Obama is a boob, alienating friend and foe alike.
Let's fire the SOB.
Reckon maybe the reason Gordon Brown popped over might have been to urge the USA to accept Puerto Rico as your 51st state?
According to 0, we already have 57. PR would be 58.
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