Turkey knocks, EU ponders

8216;8216;No, it8217;s not a natural fit,8217;8217; said Hans-Ulrich Klose, a Social Democrat and deputy chairman of the German Parliament8217;s foreign affairs committee. 8216;8216;It8217;s going to be very difficult. But we should give it a good, fair try. If it8217;s a success and Turkey turns European, it could be good for security regarding all our concerns from the Middle East.8217;8217;

Big-shouldered and chaotic Turkey wants to nudge itself into a continent that is perplexed about its own identity and future. The EU admitted 10 new, mostly East European members in May and is still awaiting approval of a contentious constitution. Economic problems and high unemployment across much of the continent are hurting the middle class and eroding the welfare state. Some leading European officials contend that admitting a moderate Muslim democracy to the EU would calm the tremendous strain between East and West over terrorism and the war in Iraq.

The belief is that Turkey, a North Atlantic Treaty Organization ally, could help stifle Islamic fanaticism around the world and enhance Europe8217;s diplomatic leverage in Central Asia and the Middle East. The clamour against Turkey, whose per capita gross domestic product is only 28 per cent of the EU average, has energised right-wing European political parties and much of the continent8217;s population. Turkey8217;s entry would mean that the EU8217;s Muslim population would soar from 12 million to 81 million. Sceptics envision Europe opening itself to a flood of religious extremists and migrant workers, and with minarets cluttering skylines from Vienna to Krakow.

Many Europeans, most notably the French, argue that admitting Turkey would threaten European secularism and tip the EU8217;s balance of power. Former French President Valery Giscard D8217;Estaing warned that Turkey8217;s accession would mark the end of Europe. Conservative German politician Edmund Stoiber has vowed he will do everything he can to derail Turkey8217;s chances if elected chancellor in 2006. Writing in Le Figaro, Robert Badinter, an ex-justice minister in France8217;s Socialist Party, said of Turkey: 8216;8216;Ninety-five percent of the territory and 92 percent of the population are in Asia. We8217;ll have, we Europeans, common borders with Georgia, Armenia, Iran, Iraq and Syria. I am asking you: What justifies our common borders with these countries? What justifies that we8217;d get involved in the most dangerous areas of the world?8217;8217;

Such sentiments have led to qualifications and demands that seem to daily raise the bar for Turkish membership. Pressure is mounting on Ankara to recognize its longtime enemy and EU member, Cyprus. France is pressing Turkey to acknowledge genocide over the killing and deportation of as many as 1.5 million Armenians during World War I. Some European politicians have hinted that membership talks would fail and Ankara would be granted a 8216;8216;privileged partnership8217;8217; 8212;8212; a consolation prize that infuriates Turks and has led to calls that negotiations end only in full membership. The European Parliament passed a resolution on Wednesday urging the EU to open accession talks 8216;8216;without undue delay.8217;8217; 8212;LAT-WP