New Sarkozy, Merkel proposal would make "Mediterranean Union" open to all EU states

French and German leaders yesterday reworked a proposal for a "Mediterranean Union," long seen as a ploy to distract Turkey from its European Union membership goal. Under a compromise between French President Nicholas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, membership in the proposed bloc would be open to all EU member states, not just countries on the Mediterranean coast. Meeting in Germany, Merkel had objected to Sarkozy's more restrictive view of the union. Sarkozy, an opponent of Turkey's EU bid, first proposed the idea.