Chirac says he still backs EU membership for Turkey, with conditions

PARIS, Dec 15 (AFP) - French President Jacques Chirac on Wednesday said he still backed eventual EU membership for Turkey but with conditions, during a televised interview he gave on the eve of an EU meeting expected to greenlight the start of accession talks. "The question that has to be asked is: has Europe, and especially France, an interest in seeing Turkey join? My response is yes, but," he said on commercial station TF1.

"Yes, if Turkey fulfills all the conditions imposed on any candidate to join our Union," he said.

His comments were a reaffirmation of his position that Turkey should end up as a member of the European Union, which in May this year expanded by another 10 states, most of them in eastern Europe.

Chirac's ruling conservative party has declared itself opposed however, as has the majority of the French population questioned in recent surveys.

Concerns centre on the ability to absorb a large and relatively poor Muslim country.

France's hesitation is seen as one of Ankara's biggest obstacles to winning a place in the wealthy bloc.

Chirac has said the negotiation period that was likely to be endorsed at Thursday's EU meeting in Brussels could take a decade or longer.

He said in the interview that the conditions Turkey had to meet were a commitment to peace and stability, democracy and economic and social development.

"In regard to those three criteria, I believe it is in our interest to have Turkey, if it fulfils all the conditions."

Negotiations would entail Turkey entering into talks with each existing EU state, he said, adding that this meant that "each nation, and notably France, maintains from the start of the negotiations up to their end -- meaning over the 10, 15 or 20 years needed -- the right to stop everything."

However, he said, a rejection of Turkey would "certainly bring a risk of instability, insecurity to our borders," he warned, stating he was against an idea floated of Turkey being offered a "privileged partnership" instead of full membership.

The Turks, he said, "are a proud people and a people who are minded to make gigantic efforts in our direction."

Chirac is known to be worried that the prospect of Turkish admission could sour French attitudes to the EU just ahead of a promised referendum next year on the union's proposed constitution, possibly even leading to its rejection.

To reassure voters, the president has already undertaken to change the country's constitution so that all future applications to the EU -- including Turkey's -- would have to be approved by a national referendum in France.

Referring to that, Chirac said the referendum on the EU constitution "must not be distracted from its very important goal by considerations which have nothing to do with it."

The French people would have "the last word" on whether Turkey should join in a separate referendum.