Turkey’s date with European Union destiny is fast approaching with accession negotiations scheduled to begin on October 3.
Opponents, principally aspirant German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, and undeclared French presidential candidate and Interior Minister, Nicolas Sarkozy, are proposing the idea of privileged partnership as a substitute for membership.
Germany’s federal elections have laced this lethal cocktail of speculation and posturing. Merkel sent a letter to her European Christian Democrat counterparts urging rejection of Turkish membership. French President Jacques Chirac suddenly became concerned about Turkish ‘failure’ to recognise the Greek part of Cyprus.
