Nationalist MP Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando said this morning he was considering moving a private members' motion in Parliament for a debate on Turkey's bid for EU membership.

The government yesterday expressed support for the bid as long as Turkey met all the requirements of membership but Dr Pullicino Orlando later slammed Foreign Minister Tonio Borg for having endorsed the bid on on Malta's behalf.

Dr Pullicino Orlando told timesofmalta.com this morning that the issue had not been debated in the Parliamentary group, it was not debated in Parliament and even the European political grouping the PN formed part of was against it.

He wrote on Facebook this morning:

"The political grouping the PN forms part of, the European People's Party, is against Turkey's accession to the EU. Martin Olof Persson's D-uppsats thesis for the Luleå University of Technology entitled Turkey as a member of the European Union: a discourse analysis of the views presented in the European Parliament considered each group's attitude towards Turkish accession and the EPP-ED political group comes out as being in favour of associate membership (privileged partnership) but not full membership."

He said that both French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who headed the largest parties in the EPP political grouping, were against the bid.

Dr Pullicino Orlando told timesofmalta.com that this was a case of sound political reasons and the last time he checked the EPP was not considered racist.

But it was not right for someone to make a personal declaration on behalf of the people which did not reflect anybody's opinion.

"We have not been given an opportunity to discuss the matter. If it is discussed and the majority are in favour, I will bow to their wishes but to make declarations which do not reflect the general sentiment in Malta on behalf of the people is undemocratic," he said.

Dr Pullicino Orlando said that the issue was not Turkey's accession per se but the way certain declarations were made.