GERMANY: German chancellor Angela Merkel has rowed back from setting an ultimatum in EU accession talks with Turkey after meeting French and Polish leaders yesterday.
The three leaders of the so- called "Weimar Triangle" spoke out in favour of greater EU co- operation in common security and defence, including joint military deployments by 2012, while Poland stood by its veto of a new co-operation treaty with Russia.
Turkey's EU accession hopes hung over yesterday's talks in Mettlach near Saarbrücken, particularly after Dr Merkel mooted freezing talks by mid-2008 if Turkish ports and airports remain closed to Cypriot vessels.
After suggesting that EU states insert a review clause into next week's summit agreement, she said yesterday that EU members would instead take their lead from the European Commission progress reports.
"I hope that, from the Turkish side, it will be seen that one cannot speak of an aggravation but that something we expected hasn't happened and there have to be certain consequences," Dr Merkel said.
The German leader said she was interested in "deadlines" not "ultimata", hours after a Commission spokesman said that the EU experience was that ultimata had "in no way brought results".
Polish president Lech Kaczynski, a supporter of Turkish EU membership, said Warsaw's position had "not changed" towards Ankara. No progress was made on Poland's veto of a new bilateral agreement with Russia because of Moscow's year-old ban on Polish produce. "The talks with Russia will only begin when the meat embargo is lifted," said Mr Kaczynski.
The three leaders said they had reached agreement on the need for a French-German-Polish military force by 2012 for deployment on missions similar to that in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
"We three all see the increasing importance of common foreign and security policy and security and defence policy," said Dr Merkel.
Dr Matthias Wissmann, chairman of the Bundestag committee on EU affairs, said the Weimar Triangle was important to show Poland it is at the heart of EU.
"Such climate cultivation is required in particular with the current [ Polish] government, as it finds its way in EU matters," he told German television.
After separate bilateral talks, Mr Chirac and Dr Merkel issued a statement calling "for an end to all interference in the affairs of Lebanon" and expressing the wish that "Syria will no longer support forces that want to destabilise Lebanon and the region".