RABAT, Dec 17 (AFP) - An eventual refusal by the European Union to grant membership to Turkey would create a chasm between the West and the Muslim world and be a victory for terror chief Osama bin Laden, Morocco's L'Economiste newspaper said Friday.
"Osama bin Laden and his followers are seeking to provoke this split," wrote the paper, adding: "Rejection of Turkey's candidacy would be seen around the world as a deliberate attempt to rupture ties with the Muslim world.
"It would be a huge victory for bin Laden and other fanatics. It would be as if they had succeeded in force-feeding the entire world the doctrine that religious differences determine political and strategic choices," the paper wrote.
"If this country (Turkey) is rejected because its origins and references are Muslim, the message for other societies will be clear: it says brutally that it is useless to make an effort."
Refusing EU membership to Turkey "would call into question all the processes that are under way in the Arab world, from democratisation to economic liberalisation," said the Moroccan business newspaper.
12/17/2004 12:14 GMT - AFP