Barroso: "Islam is no barrier to Turkey's EU membership"

The European Union's aim is to find unity in difference and to ensure the peaceful coexistence of all differences, European Commission head Jose Manuel Barroso said yesterday. Speaking at an EU Troika meeting in Austria, Barroso said many Muslims already live in Europe, especially in Germany and France, and that the EU has long lived with Islam. Stressing that Turkey's religious identity doesn't interest the EU, and the important thing is Turkey meeting all the EU criteria and its readiness for full membership, Barroso said, "As a secular, (majority) Islamic country, Turkey is very interesting for the EU."