French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin on Thursday questioned Turkey's capacity to adapt Turkish society to the European values of human rights to join the European Union (EU).

"The issue isn't the commitments made by Turkey's government, it's the attitudes of Turkish society. We're not doubting the good faith of (Recep Tayyip) Erdogan, but to what extent can today's and tomorrow's governments make Turkish society embrace Europe's human rights values," the French prime minister said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal.

"Do we want the river of Islam to enter the riverbed of secularism?" said the French prime minister, adding "we don't think we should tell Turkey that the doors of Europe are forever closed to it."

The French prime minister's comments came when Turkish Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan is seeking in Brussels to resume dialogue with the European Commission, two weeks ahead of the Commission's key report on Ankara's EU bid.

On the basis of the report that is to be made on October 6, EU leaders are expected to decide in December whether Turkey can start EU membership talks.

The incoming European Commission President Jose Manuel Durao Barroso said Wednesday in Paris after meeting with French President Jacques Chirac that Turkey had not yet met the needed requirements to enter the EU.

Source: Xinhua