The two heavyweights of the
EU, Germany and France expressed their support for the start of accession talks with Turkey. German
chancellor Gerhard Schroder, and French President Jacques Chirac yesterday came together at a
summit in Berlin. Speaking after the meeting, Schroder said that they both were of the opinion that the
accession talks aiming at full membership with Turkey should start with the decision to be taken at the
EU summit on December 17. Chirac commented that his wish was that the accession talks would end in
membership of Turkey, and said that its membership would be beneficial for peace and democracy.
French President furthered that accession talks could start in 2005 or around 2005, and they may last 15
years. According to Chirac, a referendum on Turkey’s membership could come up to the agenda after
completing the negotiations. Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan later in the day joined Schroder and
Chirac, and held a meeting with them. Erdogan sufficed to say that the meeting was pleasing. As
known, there have been concerns regarding the reluctance of France over Turkey’s membership, which
turned into a domestic politics issue and triggered a heated debate in that country. Some French
politicians even proposed holding a referendum on Turkey’s membership, and Chirac’s statement was
anxiously awaited. The European Commission already recommended that accession talks with Ankara
be opened, and the EU leaders will decide whether on when to start negotiations at the summit to be
held on December 17.