Chirac: We Will Work For A Compromise That Can Be Accepted By Turkey

PARIS - President Jacques Chirac of France said at his meeting with Justice and Development Party (AK Party) leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan that they would work for a compromise at Copenhagen Summit of the European Union (EU) which could be accepted by Turkey.
President Chirac's Spokesperson Catherine Colonna said that Erdogan and President Chirac first held a fifty-minute interdelegationary meeting, and then a thirty-minute tete-a-tete meeting.
Colonna said that relations between Turkey and the EU were brought onto agenda at the interdelegationary meeting.
She told reporters that President Chirac expressed his satisfaction over reform process in Turkey and the government's determination to maintain the reform process.
Noting that France had not yet assumed a certain attitude about setting a date for opening of accession talks with Turkey, Colonna said that President Chirac thought that the attitude should be assumed by 15 EU member countries in consensus.
Pointing out that France wanted to give a sound message to Turkey at the Copenhagen Summit, Colonna said that they could not assume a certain attitude about style of the message.
Noting that Erdogan had stressed that the new government was determined to maintain the reform process, Colonna said that Erdogan asked President Chirac to support Turkey at the Copenhagen Summit.
Quoting President Chirac as saying that Turkey might not get the response it desired at the summit, Colonna said that France was sensitive about fulfillment of the Copenhagen criteria.
Noting that President Chirac referred to the importance attributed by France to relations with Turkey, Colonna said that President Chirac explained his wish to further improvement of relations between Turkey and France.