Italy, France And Spain On Turkey's Membership And E.U.'s Mediterranean Policy

ROME - Executives of France, Spain and Italy met in a working dinner in Italian capital of Rome on Thursday and released a joint message on Mediterranean union.
In their message, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Spanish PM Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero and Italian PM Romano Prodi said EU should attach importance to cooperation with Mediterranean countries.
The three leaders also said EU membership bids of Croatia and Turkey should be separate from cooperation initiatives with the Mediterranean countries.
"The EU should be the heart and engine of a cooperation for the Mediterranean," they told.
The French, Spanish and Italian executives said Barcelona process and Europe's neighborhood policy will maintain its importance in the EU and Mediterranean partnership.
They also said the EU will have no intervention in the membership negotiation processes of Turkey or Croatia.
"The EU wishes to revive cooperation and dialogue process among Mediterranean countries, and boost cooperation with all existing organizations," they told.