Why Miss World wants a date

Date: 12/12/02

By Martin Banks

MISS Turkey, Azra Akin, the newly crowned Miss World, last night issued a personal plea to EU leaders attending this week's Copenhagen summit: "I need a date."

Before Jacques Chirac and Co get too excited by this prospect, the 21-year-old model was quick to add "for Turkey". Akin said she fully supported efforts by premier Abdullah Gül and Recep Tayyip Erdogan to win a commitment at the summit for her country to be given a firm date to start enlargement negotiations. "Turkey is a modern country which is ready to become a fully-fledged member of Europe," she told European Voice.

Referring to recent comments by European Convention chairman Valéry Giscard d'Estaing that membership for Turkey would be "the end of the EuropeanUnion", she declared: "Turkey is already part of Europe - half of Istanbul is in Europe - and Turkish people look up to Europe. Certainly, when compared to some eastern European countries, Turkey is quite a sophisticated and developed country."

Akin admitted she did not vote in the recent Turkish elections because she did not feel sufficiently informed. She said, however, that she supported the reforming policies of Erdogan, the Islamist head of Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party.

Akin only moved to Turkey in March after being brought up in the Netherlands by Turkish parents. Prime Minister Gül was among the first to congratulate her after she was named Miss World last Friday.

The beauty contest was dogged by controversy after contestants fled the original host country of Nigeria following riots which left 220 people dead.

The unrest was sparked by an article in a local newspaper seen as blasphemous by Muslims. It suggested the Prophet Mohammed might have approved of the event - and even chosen to marry one of the contestants.

The event was relocated to London but boycotted by six entrants over Nigeria's death sentence ruling against Amina Lawal, a 30-year-old woman who broke Sharia law by having a child out of wedlock.

Miss Turkey, Azra Akin, the newly crowned Miss World, has issued a personal plea for her country to be given a firm date to start enlargement negotiations.