Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-12-13-Speech-1-148"
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"en.20041213.10.1-148"2
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"Mr President, the Chamber is already almost empty, and the arguments have nearly been exhausted. I do not wish to return to the issues raised by all the earlier speakers, or to all the previous arguments. One can see both sides to all of the latter. The situation is somewhat reminiscent of the nature of philosophical doctrines, when if all the arguments are analysed, and an attempt made to find the original source of the philosophical system, it ultimately becomes clear that we all differ in terms of personality. What happens is that at some point a certain detail of personality or character determines whether one marvellous philosophical treatise comes about or another, equally marvellous one.
In the case at hand, it appears to me that there is a clear division of those sitting in this Chamber. Some view the possible accession of Turkey to the EU with hope, whereas others regard it with fear, and this is only natural. Those who regard it with fear use the geographical argument, stating that Turkey is in Asia, for example. Those who regard it with hope use the rules of the tennis court. In tennis, if a ball hits the line, it is just as much ‘in’ as if it had been in the centre of the court. This is indeed one way of looking at things. For me, the decisive factor regarding this issue has been the opinion of those working for human rights movements both in Turkey and outside. I have in mind Mrs Zana first and foremost, but also many others who stress the negative aspects of the situation in Turkey in their reports, but who also state that membership of the European Union offers a chance for things to change. This is an absolutely crucial issue, and people inside the country must be asked for their opinion.
Ladies and gentlemen, we are not all opposed to Turkey’s accession to the European Union, and not all countries are opposed to such an accession. In a survey recently carried out in Poland, 72% of its citizens were in favour of a further enlargement of the European Union. We are dealing with a fundamental difference."@en1
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