French Diplomat Says Turkey's EU Accession Talks Will Continue As Planned

UN - A senior French diplomat sought to give assurances on Tuesday that Turkey`s membership talks with the European Union would not be halted under French term presidency.
"President Sarkozy personally said a few days ago that nothing will stop or be blocked with Turkey. Negotiations will continue as planned," Jean-Maurice Ripert, permanent representative of France to the United Nations, told the A.A.
France took over the six-month rotating presidency of the EU as of July 1.
The French diplomat described Turkey as "an important and a strategic partner," which he said was the reason to invite the EU-candidate country to a Paris summit next week that would officially launch "Union for the Mediterranean," a loose grouping of countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea.
"We have never said that the Mediterranean Union was an alternative for Turkey`s EU membership. However, as one of the biggest powers of the Mediterranean, Turkey needs to be a part of this project," Ripert said.
(YMB)