Brussels, 09/12/2004 (Agence Europe) - France wants accession negotiations with Turkey so begin at the end of 2005 or beginning of 2006, declared the French minister of foreign affairs, Michel Barnier on Thursday in Brussels. The French position is far from the commitment made at the European Council of Copenhagen in December 2002 which called for negotiations "without delay" once the EU considered that Turkey had respected the Copenhagen criteria (also see p 4). Barnier insisted that France had asked for other options to be considered and that these negotiations, in the event of failure, are not lost and that a "strong link" is organised. He refuses to describe this "strong link" as a privileged partnership as the German Christian Democrat opposition had. Barnier underlined the fact that the European Commission had said itself that they could not predict the result of these negotiations. The French minister does not "image the hypothesis" of Turkey being able to refuse negotiations if the EU explains in its conclusions that they could result in something other than accession. Barnier was in Brussels for the meeting of NATO foreign affairs ministers.