AH- Holding a press conference on expansion of European Union (EU) and the EU Constitution, although French President Jacques Chirac has supported Turkey`s membership for a long time, Chirac said that Turkey was not ready for full membership with existing conditions and that the entry negotiations with Turkey might take 10 years or more.
Acknowleding the fact that Turkey had been a close ally and friend of the West, Chirac said Turkish government took important steps with meeting democracy and human rights criterias, but the implementation of these reforms was not yet achieved.