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French interior minister says EU enlargement should be suspended | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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Paris,- French Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy said Monday that European Union enlargement should be suspended and France needs to rethink its EU politics.

Sarkozy, who is also head of President Jacques Chirac”s center-right governing UMP party, said France”s rejection of the EU constitution in May showed several changes were needed.

&#34We have to rethink and rework our European politics,&#34 he said.

The comments came after a meeting of political party leaders, chaired by Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin, on the lessons to be learned from France”s &#34no&#34 to the EU constitution.

The Associated Press quoted Sarkozy as saying that France needed to &#34clearly ask questions about the borders of Europe&#34 and that &#34we need to suspend enlargement, at least until the institutions are revamped.&#34