German Chancellor backs Turkey’s EU membership bid

Addressing the general assembly of his Socialist Party, Schröder slammed the opposition German Christian Democrats for suggesting that Turkey should not be granted full membership status in the EU.
“Here the security perspective of Europe comes into consideration by taking the difficulties in the Middle East into account,” he said.
It was important to have an Islam that was not based on fanatic thoughts in an important country such as Turkey, which held Western views, he said.