Interviewee:    Why don’t they say ‘forget it and you’ll never going to get in?’  Turkey has been granted candidate status, that’s a legal position.  So, there has been an agreement.  It would also require an agreement to revoke that.

Audience 1    I see.

Interviewee:    So, Europe is not of one voice.  As you pointed out, the UK is in favour.  There are other countries that are in favour.  And they don’t want to see this process end.  They think if you keep it quiet, put it on the back burner, Nicolas Sarkozy will not always be the president in France.[Laughing]

Interviewee:    He might come around.  So, I think the Europeans would like to move forward, not all Europeans.  I think they also very much want a constructive relationship with Turkey.  So, can they get their process moving forward in the phase of opposition of a divided era?  But I don’t think that they’re at all unified in thinking that they want to say no.

Audience 1:    Is there any fear about Turkey is returning to Islamic world or the Russia side?

Interviewee:    Less about the Russia side.  I think that particularly on energy issues, though many Europeans look at Turkey as an alternative to Russia.  I mean, Turkey is a NATO ally, and has been for many years, even during the cold war.  And so, they see Turkey in that context.  In terms of Islam and particularly radical Islam, I think you find a range of views in Europe.  But I think generally, this is not the concern.  The concern that I have had expressed to me about the AK Party for example is not that they are closet Islamisist or want to take Turkey in a different direction.  In fact, I think that many of them see the AK Party as allowing more tolerance and more freedom in Turkey and see this as a very good thing.  What they do say is that the AK Party has been a party in power without an effective opposition for some time.  And this is not good for any party.  Every party should have a political opposition that can hold on to task, who can ask questions and challenge them in a political debating arena.  And so, I think that, that is the feeling.  I catch actually less concern about Turkey going towards radical Islam in Europe than I do here.

Interviewer:    Uh-hmm, next question.

Audience 2    [IB] of the Rumi Forum, thank you so much.  It’s a very informative talk that you gave.  I have 2 questions.  I’m curious about [IB] Brussels recently.  Did you hear anything about the recent developments inside Turkey about the letters that have been found, potential coup, and what not?  Because in the Turkish press, they spoke about the concern that the European Union has, some member states have above the situation.

Interviewee:    Uh-hmm.