Erdogan to attend weekend Mediterranean union summit in France

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will travel to Paris this weekend to attend the Mediterranean union summit to officially launch the union project, at the invitation of French President Nicola Sarkozy. The French leader telephoned Erdogan on Tuesday to invite him to the meeting. Ankara has been hesitant to embrace the union, an initiative spearheaded by Sarkozy, known for his strong opposition to Turkey's EU accession bid, over suspicions that it may be an attempt to deflect Turkey's full EU membership goal. Erdogan has said that Turkey won't take part in the proposed union without assurances that it isn't meant as an alternative to EU membership. In related news, French Ambassador to Ankara Bernard Jean Maurice said that France has no plans to suggest an alternative to Turkey's EU accession, adding that the project aims to boost cooperation among Mediterranean countries. "Turkey is a key country in the region, and that's why France wants Turkey to be a part of the Union," he added. Maurice also said that France will take a very objective approach to Turkey's EU accession talks during its six-month term presidency which began on July 1.