TURKEY AGREES TO ATTEND MEDITERRANEAN UNION LAUNCH
PanARMENIAN.Net
09.07.2008 15:44 GMT+04:00
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday told French President
Nicolas Sarkozy that he hopes to participate in a major summit in Paris
on July 13 at which Sarkozy will launch his plan for Mediterranean
Union, Today’s Zaman reports.
Sarkozy yesterday initiated a telephone conversation with Erdogan in
order to personally invite the PM to the summit, officials say.
Erdogang’s attendance would be a fresh boost to the project after
confirmation on Monday that Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika
would attend the launch of the union, which brings together European
and Mediterranean countries.
Sarkozy announced the union as one of his flagship ideas after winning
election last year, saying it would bring together the Mediterranean’s
diverse nations in a European-style institution. But the plan to draw
on EU funds for a project that did not include EU states without a
Mediterranean coast irked Germany and others, forcing Paris to water
down the concept and broaden its membership.
Sarkozy invited the leaders of all the future member states to Sunday’s
summit. The only regional leader who is now expected not to come is
Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi.