Merkel Says No to Turkey

Angela Merkel, leader of Germany's opposition Christian Democrats who is favored to beat Gerhard Schroeder in Germany's upcoming national elections, has re-affirmed her strong opposition to European Union membership for Turkey.

Mrs Merkel also repeated her opposition to Turkey becoming a member of the EU, saying that it was possible to bring Turkey closer to Europe without granting it full membership.

"We need to talk about the limits of enlargement. We need borders. People need to know where these borders are," she said.

"We need to find solutions, within a privileged partnership, which make it possible to bring Turkey and Europe together without going as far as accession."

Ms. Merkel's sensible stance on EU membership for Turkey comes amid a wave of Islamist extremism sweeping across Europe. If Turkey were granted EU membership, Turks could pass freely throughout Europe, settling where ever they chose. Given the great disparity between Turkish and European birth rates, this would constitute an open invitation for Turkey to colonize Western Europe, vastly increasing the numbers of Muslims already living there and giving them added political clout. Ms. Merkel, along with a number of other European leaders, have realized the dreadful mistake Europe made decades ago when it opened its borders to the Middle East. A great deal of damage has been done, permanently, but at least Ms. Merkel seems ready to staunch the flow and prevent a demographic disaster for Europe.