Press Review: Turkey and the Eu

The undercurrent of French- US hostility at the Nato summit in Istanbul went beyond the debate over the role of alliance troops in Iraq. George Bush's call for a firm date for the start of negotiations over Turkish accession to the European Union triggered a sharp admonition from Jacques Chirac. The US president "not only went too far, but went on territory that is not his own", said his French counterpart.

Le Figaro joined Mr Chirac in chastising Mr Bush for "attempting to directly intervene in the EU's internal affairs". The US president, argued the French daily, had "taken no notice of Mr Chirac's caution that the negotiations between the union and Ankara are none of Washington's business".

Not surprisingly, the New York Post smelled a weasel in Mr Chirac's remarks. "France is...uncomfortable about greater EU expansion because each new country in the union dilutes French power - and thus France's ability to use the confederation to increase its global clout," claimed the Murdoch-owned tabloid. "The French political establishment is fighting a war against what it sees as Anglo-Saxon political, economic and cultural domination. France believes it can use its influence within international institutions like the UN and the EU to reverse more than a century of French decline."

But the Wall Street Journal detected a "silver lining" in the row: "Mr Chirac lashes out when feeling politically cornered. If the French president's petulance is the worst thing we have to worry about, then perhaps Turkey will find its way into the EU after all."

In the Turkish daily Zaman, Selcuk Gultasi doubted Mr Bush's remarks would help Turkey's accession plans, given that the EU already seemed broadly willing to launch membership talks in December. "I wonder, while all the signs are so good, wouldn't it be better if we were more careful in seeking Mr Bush's support?"

In the Turkish Daily News, Ilnur Cevik took a similar line. Support from other European states would be more valuable than that of Mr Bush. "After all, it will be major powers such as Germany and Britain that will be influential in getting a date for the accession talks to start instead of the statements of Mr Bush, which are usually counterproductive."