Raffarin fears 'river of Islam' from early Turkey membership of EU
PARIS, Sept 23 (AFP) - French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin reiterated France's support for Turkey's eventual membership of the European Union but warned Ankara might not yet be ready to accept Western values, in an interview published Thursday in the Wall Street Journal Europe.
"We don't think we should tell Turkey that the doors of Europe are forever closed to it," Raffarin told the newspaper, but then said: "Do we want the river of Islam to enter the riverbed of secularism?"
RTHT; I have to say, just as a quick comment, that it's one of the most passive-aggressive and bureaucratic versions of the word "never" I've ever seen. |