"French, German conservatives back EU constitution, oppose Turkey's EU bidDocument Actions 08/01/2005
Germany's opposition conservatives and the new head of France's ruling center-right party, Nicolas Sarkozy, on Saturday took a common stand in favour of the European Union's new constitution but against full Turkish membership of the bloc. 'It was a very intense exchange, there is a very strong unity of viewpoints, I am very proud that we have decided to strengthen our cooperation,' said Angela Merkel, leader of the main opposition Christian Democratic Union (CDU), following a meeting of party leaders to which Sarkozy had been invited. In a statement, the CDU reaffirmed its 'commitment to the idea of a special partnership between the EU and Turkey,' arguing that full membership would be an institutional, financial and political obstacle to the EU's success. The party also argued in favour of ratifying the EU constitution, saying the text 'defends our values and makes democratic decisions possible.' "
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