Madam, - Lara Marlowe is clearly very displeased with President Sarkozy and Chancellor Merkel on account of their opposition to Turkish EU membership (February 16th). But they are simply reflecting the views of their citizens as shown in successive Eurobarometer polls.
For example, the poll published by the EU Commission in December 2006 revealed that just 29 per cent of EU citizens were in favour of Turkish membership, with 59 per cent against and 12 per cent undecided. The numbers for Irish voters are similar, with a large majority against Turkish membership.
Across the EU, those against Turkish accession included 75 per cent of the people of Greece, 78 per cent of Germans and 87 per cent of Austrians. The EU Commission has now solved that little democratic difficulty by omitting the Turkish question from subsequent Eurobarometer polls.
Turkish accession was also a factor in the rejection of the EU Constitutional Treaty in France and the Netherlands where some voters took the only opportunity available to them to compel the European Union to take note of their views on Turkish membership. - Yours, etc,
CONOR O'BRIEN,
Mount Anville Park,
Dublin 14.