Turkey's position as bridge between the Islamic world and the EU Sir - Turkey is simply not in Europe, no matter how pressing our need to appease Islamists (David Miliband, "Turkey is vital to Europe's future", Comment, September 4).
It is not a democracy; it has porous borders with states that aspire to destroy everything Western; it does not in practice afford equal rights to women, homosexuals and ethno-religious minorities; it does not tolerate dissent and political opposition in a manner compatible with liberal democratic traditions; it has an average per capita income so low that it would drive tens of millions of economic migrants to northern Europe and act as a conduit for tens of millions more. Turkey is not part of Europe historically, economically, politically or culturally. It is time that politicians such as David Miliband demonstrated that the EU is not merely a cynical device for depressing labour costs; that neither is membership of it in the gift of the American President as a reward for Nato membership or support for US-British policies in the Middle East. Others, such as Liam Fox, have argued that Turkey has been led to believe (by politicians like himself, acting without a mandate to make any such offer) that admission to the EU would be its reward for democratisation. But if Turkey's transition to democracy has been motivated by other than a genuine belief in it, it does not make the case for accession any stronger. The perception of Turkey as a "bridge" to the Islamic world is but a passing fashion: so in their day were Iran under the Shah, Iraq under Saddam and Afghanistan under the Taliban. Professor Anthony Elliott-Kelly, University of Southampton Sir - Enlargement has been a great success not only for the EU but also for established member states like Britain, as well as those joining. The transformation of Poland, Hungary and other former communist countries of eastern Europe has been remarkable, with the reform of their legal and judicial systems. As the respected commentator Francis Fukuyama put it: "One of the most successful engines of institutional reform has been the European Union's accession process, which has transformed the institutional landscape in eastern Europe and beyond." The carrot of EU membership has strengthened the hand of reformers in Turkey. Turkish membership is a medium- to long-term challenge facing the EU, and Britain should embrace it as part of its vision for the EU's future. Roland Rudd, Chairman, Business for New Europe, London EC2 Sir - David Miliband opens with: "In the 20th century, Britain's national security came under threat from hostile nations." Indeed it did, and Turkey was one of those nations. Ralph Berry, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire
