EU/US: Turkey's decades-old drive to join the European Union gathered pace yesterday after strong expressions of support from France and Germany and also from its NATO ally, the US.
The German Chancellor, Mr Gerhard Schröder, in Istanbul with dozens of other leaders for a summit meeting of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, said he was sure Turkey would get a green light in December to start entry talks.
President Jacques Chirac of France, long seen by Turkish media as cool on Ankara's bid, spoke of an "irreversible" process, although he stopped short of saying when Turkey might join. Mr Chirac's own ruling party has come out against Turkish membership, as has Germany's conservative opposition.
President Bush, ignoring a call on Monday by President Chirac for him to mind his own business, reaffirmed Washington's long-standing support for Turkey's EU membership, saying it would boost relations between the west and the Muslim world.
In a major speech delivered at Galatasary University overlooking the Bosphorus, the stretch of seawater at Istanbul separating Europe and Asia, President Bush said that including Turkey in the EU would be "a crucial advance in relations between the Muslim world and the west".
"Including Turkey in the EU would prove that Europe is not the exclusive club of a single religion. It would expose the 'clash of civilisations' as a passing myth of history. Fifteen years ago, an artificial line that divided Europe - drawn at Yalta - was erased. Now this continent has the opportunity to erase another artificial division by including Turkey in the future of Europe," Mr Bush said.
"Turkey has found its place in the community of democracies by living out its own principles. Muslims are called to seek justice - fairness to all, care for the stranger, compassion for those in need. And you have learned that democracy is the surest way to build a society of justice.
"The best way to prevent corruption and abuse of power is to hold rulers accountable. The best way to ensure fairness to all is to establish the rule of law. The best way to honour human dignity is to protect human rights. Turkey has found what nations of every culture and every region have found: if justice is the goal, then democracy is the answer."
Mr Bush then went on to outline why he felt democracy would work in Middle East countries. "In some parts of the world, especially in the Middle East, there is a wariness toward democracy, often based on misunderstanding," he said.
"Some people in Muslim cultures identify democracy with the worst of western popular culture and want no part of it. And I assure them, when I speak about the blessings of liberty, coarse videos and crass commercialism are not what I have in mind.
"There is nothing incompatible between democratic values and high standards of decency. For the sake of their families and their culture, citizens of a free society have every right to strive peacefully for a moral society.
"Democratic values also do not require citizens to abandon their faith. No democracy can allow religious people to impose their own view of perfection on others, because this invites cruelty and arrogance that are foreign to every faith. And all people in a democracy have the right to their own religious beliefs.
"But all democracies are made stronger when religious people teach and demonstrate upright conduct - family commitment, respect for the law and compassion for the weak. Democratic societies should welcome, not fear, the participation of the faithful . . .
"Because representative governments reflect their people, every democracy has its own structure, traditions, and opinions. There are, however, certain commitments of free government that do not change from place to place.
"The promise of democracy is fulfilled in freedom of speech, the rule of law, limits on the power of the state, economic freedom, respect for women and religious tolerance . . .
"I believe that freedom is the future of the Middle East, because I believe that freedom is the future of all humanity . . . The future of freedom in the Islamic world will be determined by the citizens of Islamic nations, not by outsiders.
"And for citizens of the broader Middle East, the alternatives could not be more clear. One alternative is a political doctrine of tyranny, suicide and murder that goes against the standards of justice found in Islam and every other great religion.
"The other alternative is a society of justice, where men and women live peacefully and build better lives for themselves and their children."
Mr Bush concluded: "In their need for hope, in their desire for peace, in their right to freedom, the peoples of the Middle East are exactly like you and like me. Their birthright of freedom has been denied for too long. We will do all in our power to help them find the blessings of liberty." - (Reuters)
The full text of Mr Bush's speech may be read on ireland.com, the Irish Times website