Merkel, Sarkozy denounce EU enlargement

PanARMENIAN.Net - The leaders of Germany and France - gearing up for next month's European Parliament elections - on Sunday denounced the idea of expanding the European Union indefinitely to include new members such as Turkey.



Germany Chancellor Angela Merkel, who has advocated having a vaguely defined partnership with the largely Muslim Turkey, said «we cannot take in everyone in Europe as a full member.



"We have to talk about the borders of this Europe," Merkel said at an event organized by her conservative Christian Democrats before the June 7 European Parliament vote. "It makes no sense if there are ever more members, and we can't decide anything any more."



"It is right that we say to people in the European election campaign ... our common position is: a privileged partnership for Turkey, but no full membership," she said.



Turkey began EU membership talks in 2005, despite opposition voiced in Germany and France. Neither country, however, has blocked the talks, and Germany's other main coalition party - the Social Democrats - supports EU membership for Turkey.



President Barack Obama has also urged the EU to embrace Turkey as a full member.



French President Nicolas Sarkozy, a longtime opponent of Turkish membership, last week advocated discussing a common economic and security forum with Turkey as an alternative.



"When Angela Merkel says Europe must have borders, she is right - because a Europe without borders would be a Europe without a will, without identity, without values," he said at Sunday's event, where he was a guest of honor as France's leading conservative.



He was quoted earlier Sunday as telling Germany's Bild am Sonntag newspaper: "Let us stop making vain promises to Turkey and study with it the creation of a big common economic and human space."



Sarkozy also underlined France's support for Germany's bid for a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council. France already is a permanent member, AP reported.