Speaking from Beijing during a state visit, French President Jacques Chirac said Sunday that France could block Türkiye's accession to the European Union at any point in the negotiation process. He pledged to consult parliament on the membership question and emphasized that France retained full freedom to walk away from talks.
Chirac, who has said personally he supports Türkiye eventually joining the EU, indicated the French public would ultimately decide the matter through a referendum. He estimated the issue was at least 10 to 15 years away from resolution, if it ever reached that stage.
His remarks highlighted a tension within his own ruling UMP party, which has formally opposed Türkiye's membership. The party has pointed to Türkiye's relative poverty and its predominantly Muslim population as reasons for concern, particularly after the EU expanded by 10 members earlier in 2004, most of them former Soviet-bloc nations.
Chirac's referendum pledge appeared designed partly to keep the Türkiye controversy separate from a parallel effort to win French voter approval of a new EU constitution.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this AFP wire report, first published in October 2004, in its own words.