09/01/2003 (Agence Europe) - In an interview in "Le Monde" on Thursday, the Greek Prime Minister, Costas Simitis, pointed out that Turkey had been a great European power since the 16th century and that the Ottoman empire had played a role in the creation of the Europe that existed today. The Greek Prime Minister added that François the First was an ally of Suleiman and that Mr Valéry Giscard d'Estaing had forgotten that it was therefore France which had introduced Turkey into Europe and that in any case Turkey could become a member of the European Union. In response to the question of speeding up the Copenhagen calendar, Mr Simitis explained that this would not be possible because the 2004 deadline needed to be maintained as the entire political class needed to understand that the Community Acquis ought to be applied.