FRANCE: France will push Turkey to recognise the mass murder of Armenians from 1915 as genocide once EU membership talks have been opened, the French foreign minister has said.
"France will pose this question. I think Turkey as a big country has a duty to remember," said Mr Michel Barnier yesterday.
The issue has been a bone of contention for several decades, with Turkey consistently refusing to recognise the killing of up to 1.5 million Armenians between 1915 and 1917 as genocide.
Ankara insists that between 250,000 and 500,000 Armenians, as well as thousands of Turks, were killed when they clashed during the first World War.
Armenians say that their people died or were deported under Turkish Ottoman rule.
Mr Barnier said that while France would not make recognition of genocide a condition for opening talks, it would raise the question once talks are opened.
"I believe that when the time comes, Turkey should come to terms with its past, be reconciled with its own history and recognise this tragedy," said the French foreign minister.
This call is just the latest in a series of issues being raised in the final days before the EU is expected to give the green light to opening negotiations with Turkey at a European Council meeting this week.
However, the bloc's member-states remain divided.
Foreign ministers meeting yesterday clashed over proposals that would allow the possibility of imposing permanent restrictions on Turkish workers being able to move freely in the EU.
Finland, Sweden, Greece and Belgium are against the proposals, which they fear would relegate Turkey to a second-class status in the EU.
However, the proposals are strongly backed by others.
The two other big issues that will have to be dealt with by EU leaders on Thursday and Friday are Turkey's recognition of Cyprus and when exactly EU negotiations with Ankara will be opened.
Agreement is expected on agreeing to open accession talks in the second half of 2005, but it will be emphasised that the process will not automatically lead to EU membership for Turkey.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Dermot Ahern, said: "I think there's a general view that the discussions will be quite onerous and difficult".
Yesterday's debate took place as it became clear that a large section of French and German voters, at 67 per cent and 55 per cent respectively, are against Turkey joining the EU, according to a poll conducted for French daily Le Figaro.
For its part, Turkey continues to insist it will accept nothing less than full EU membership.
"Turkey's membership bid will bring harmony to relations among civilisations," said Turkish Prime Minister Mr Recep Tayyip Erdogan.