April 25, 2007 - 16:58 AMT
Accepting Turkey EU will have to accept Lebanon, Israel, and Magrib, Sarkozy says
"Let me tell you the truth: I am against Turkish EU membership," French presidential contender Nikolas Sarkozy said in a letter which was sent to the Armenian Foundations Coordination Council. "The real problem lies with Turkey; I cannot tell young French school students that Europe's borders lie along Syria and Iraq. If we accept Turkey then, putting aside the Ukraine for a moment, we have to accept Lebanon, Israel, and the Magrib. If Europe really wants to give off a sense of security, then its borders must be defined. We should deepen our relations with Turkey, but not to the point of EU membership. What we need is an urgent declaration of 'privileged partnership' with Turkey..." the letter says.