France's Sarkozy to emphasise EU treaty, not Turkey

PARIS, May 23 (Reuters) - Reforming the European Union's institutional impasse is more of a priority for French President Nicolas Sarkozy than challenging Turkey's EU ambitions, the president's spokesman said yesterday.

Sarkozy travels to Brussels later in the day to meet European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and lay out his plans for a swift treaty to replace the EU constitution, which was rejected by French voters in a referendum in 2005.

French officials indicated that the ''simplified treaty'' was likely to dominate the talks rather than Turkey's EU membership negotiations, which Sarkozy firmly opposes.

''The urgent thing for Nicolas Sarkozy is to find a solution to the institutional crisis,'' the president's spokesman David Martinon told reporters ahead of the Brussels visit.

Sarkozy, who took office last week, has said the new treaty should contain core institutional reforms in the defunct constitution, which France would then ratify by parliament rather than risking another referendum.

''This is the only credible way of finding a swift solution to this institutional crisis,'' said Martinon.

French officials have warned that if supporters of the moribund constitution, such as Italy, tried to shunt too much of the old text into the new treaty then both France and Britain would have to call referendums, with no guarantee of success.

Diplomats said Sarkozy's election had created momentum for a deal on the treaty at his maiden EU summit on June 21-22, and they believed British Prime Minister Tony Blair, attending his final summit in office, was also eager for an accord.

''To move quickly is the only solution,'' said Martinon.

TURKEY'S PLACE There appeared to be less urgency to resolve big differences between France and the European Commission over Turkey.

Martinon stressed yesterday that Sarkozy remained convinced Turkey had no place in the EU.

''The position of President Sarkozy is the same as that of Sarkozy the (presidential) candidate. Turkey is in Asia Minor and not in Europe,'' said Martinon.

However, Paris did not appear to be in any hurry to block Turkey's EU membership negotiations, which opened in 2005, and was still weighing its options, diplomats said.

Turkey's entry talks have been dogged by disputes and the EU has suspended talks on eight of 35 policy areas, or ''chapters'', due to Ankara's refusal to open its ports to EU member Cyprus.

France cannot single-handedly force an end to Turkey's EU drive.

That would require unanimity among the 27 member states, and some of them, such as Britain, strongly back Ankara's bid.

But Sarkozy, probably backed by other Turkey sceptics such as Austria and Germany, could refuse to allow chapters to be opened and closed, effectively freezing the bid in its tracks.

One French official, who declined to be named, said that the opening of chapters was a purely technical move rather than a political decision.

Such a distinction might encourage Sarkozy to let the talks carry on, and thereby convince Turkey to continue reforming its institutions in line with EU models, while at the same time remaining firm on opposing ultimate membership.

REUTERS RJ ND1710