Sweat Jacques, Sweat

Jacques Chirac is getting more stressed as the 17th of December draws ever closer. Fully aware that the average French voter wants Turkey in the EU about as much as they want GW in the white house, he is trying to set his own preconditions for talks. The most important of these is actually:

The president has asked for accession talks not to start until the second half of 2005. This last demand is to make sure that the discussion on Turkish EU membership is separate from the debate on the EU constitution.

One of the only issues that could swing the French to a no vote is that of Turkish membership. I hope Jacques does not get his way. More than anything I would love to see the French voters reject the treaty.