Erdogan attends Mediterranean Union summit

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, accompanied by Foreign Minister and chief European Union negotiator Ali Babacan, over the weekend attended a summit meeting in Paris for the proposed Mediterranean union at the invitation of French President Nicola Sarkozy. Meeting with Sarkozy, Erdogan urged EU Term President France to abide by to its commitment to Turkey's EU accession bid, and told of Turkey's expectations of how France will treat its accession talks at the EU helm. For his part, Sarkozy promised to allow the accession talks to run their course, adding that talks on chapters which are ready for review will start during the French Presidency. Sarkozy also praised Turkey's mediation between Israel and Syria, and reiterated that the Mediterranean union and Turkey's EU accession bid are completely separate matters. On the case seeking the closure of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), Sarkozy said, "I hope the court's decision on the case will be in line with the principles of pluralist democracy and the rule of law." Erdogan also met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. Afterwards, Erdogan said that Turkey would continue its mediation with the same determination and hope as at the outset of the recent indirect peace talks between the two countries, adding that Turkey will also take part in direct peace talks. Speaking about his meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas during the summit, Olmert said that a peace deal is now closer than ever.