The next trilateral summit should be held in Poland in 2008

So-called "blaesheim" informal meeting between the Federal Chancellor and the President of the French Republic has been largely eclipsed by the top three, with the Polish President, Lech Kaczynski, as part of the Weimar Triangle. In the communiqué issued at the end of the Summit that took place, yesterday in Mettlach, in a former Benedictine Abbey, it at length the difficulties of the Turkey Union membership and the current deadlock of the renewal of the agreement between the Russia and the European Community.

On the Turkish record, the three leaders seemed to agree to suspend discussions of membership on 8 of the 35 thematic chapters along the Turkey-Union negotiations, as advocated week last Brussels. Jacques Chirac and Angela Merkel had reaffirmed that the Ankara Protocol must be implemented as quickly as possible. The Protocol extending the Customs Union signed by the Turkey and the fifteen to the ten new Member States is not respected by Ankara that failing to recognize the Republic of Cyprus, he is denied access to its ports and airports. But it would seem that the tone has changed somewhat over the last few days. The expression "appointment clause" within eighteen months, which had been raised the day before, little was made yesterday by the three leaders, who have used more diplomatic language. That morning, the head of the Government of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, had telephoned Angela Merkel to personally ask him not to commit to "bad step" by attempting to impose rigid time limits in his country. "I him have expressed our hope that such an historical error is not made at the European Summit of 14-15 December", said the Turkish leader yesterday to members of his party.

"Of equal rights".

Even the Commission has been reluctant in this regard, calling yesterday the France and the Germany do not seek to impose rigid deadlines to the Turkey, noting that, in the past, such constraints "not had produced no results". Result, the Chancellor is simply to suggest that the Commission examine very closely the progress made by Ankara between the fall of 2007 (Turkey general elections) and spring 2009 (European elections) before further negotiations for eventual membership.

On the Russia, the President of Poland explained that the lifting of the Russian embargo on imports of Polish meat, in force since November 2005, was a prerequisite to start negotiations on an agreement of partnership with Europe. "An agreement where the energy is just one of the components", was held to clarify President Lech Kaczynski, before adding: "It that this partnership of the European Union with the Russia is based on equal rights." Polish President held laudatory comments on the Weimar Triangle and its utility, taking the opposite of his statements. The next trilateral summit should be held in Poland in 2008. The fact that it also spoke of the necessary cooperation with the Ukraine shows that Angela Merkel has not abandoned his idea to give more importance in the future for relations with Central and Eastern Europe.

On the bilateral front following, the main tangible results of the "Blaesheim" of yesterday is the publication of a joint statement on the Lebanon. "The France and the Germany want the Syria to refrain from supporting the forces seeking the destabilization of the Lebanon and the region", can be read.