Brussels, 29/05/2007 (Agence Europe) - France does not plan to block membership talks with Turkey and will therefore not use its veto against the opening of three additional chapters - financial control, economic and monetary policy, statistics - during the next ministerial negotiating meeting on 26 June. Paris does plan, however, to raise the question of Turkey as part of a broader debate on the Union's external borders that President Nicolas Sarkozy hopes to begin at the European Council in December 2007, at the end of the Portuguese EU Council Presidency. According to Le Figaro, Mr Sarkozy would like the EU27 to decide at that point to create a working group responsible for delimiting the Union's borders and reflecting on its neighbourhood policy. The question of the EU's borders must be raised one day, explained Mr Sarkozy on Monday after his meeting with Romano Prodi (see related article), saying it is a matter that goes beyond the question of Turkey as it concerns other countries such as Ukraine, also. The Turkish government confirmed on Tuesday that Mr Sarkozy had sent his diplomatic adviser, Jean-David Levitte, to Ankara last weekend to discuss Turkey's candidature to the EU, among other things.
On 4 June this year, the EU ministerial troika - currently composed of the foreign minsters of Germany and Portugal, Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Luis Amado, as well as Commissioner Olli Rehn (enlargement) - will be in Ankara for talks with the Turkish foreign minister and vice prime minister, Abdullahg Gül. (hb)