Chirac

Mr. Chirac said that by commemorating the abolition of slavery, France is also celebrating its diverse, yet united, ethnicities.

Mr. Erdogan will not only see Mr. Chirac and Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin during his three-day visit. He has also scheduled meetings with French businessmen, the two main political parties and representatives of France's sizable Turkish community. The Turkish leader says he will emphasize how his government has adapted its laws to those of the EU, and explain that the vast majority of Turks see EU membership as a national project to modernize and Westernize their country.