THE German Chancellor, Dr Helmut Kohl, will meet President Jacques Chirac of France in Nuremberg today to agree a joint strategy before Friday's EU summit in Dublin.
The two men, who are meeting for the third time in two weeks, are expected to unveil an initiative promising closer co operation on fighting crime, asylum and immigration policy and defence.
Despite last minute disagreement last week, Bonn and Paris will probably agree on the need to appoint a figure to oversee EU foreign and security policy. But there was little sign of accord last night on the crucial issue of Germany's proposal that the introduction of a single European currency should be accompanied by a strict economic stability pact for member states.
France is unhappy about Germany's rigid interpretation of the pact, which would impose stiff fines on states that stray from the rules demanding low inflation and low public debt. In an interview to be published today in the German news magazine, Focus, Mr Pierre Lellouche, an adviser to Mr Chirac, warned that Germany was making membership of the single currency too difficult.
"Germany must take responsibility for a possible collapse of monetary union," he said.
He proposed that a committee should be established to discuss the implementation of a stability pact, suggestion that could form the basis of a compromise between Bonn and Paris. Such a committee would also co ordinate economic and employment policies among European Monetary Union members, to ensure their economies continue to converge after the new currency is launched in 1999.
The German Foreign Minister, Mr Klaus Kinkel, predicted yesterday the two sides would patch up their differences on monetary union.
Siona Jenkins adds:
Cairo was the scene of yet more consultations on the Middle East peace process this weekend, with visits by the EU envoy and the Palestinian President, Mr Yasser Arafat. But despite the flurry of activity, little new emerged from the rounds of consultations and the EU envoy to the Middle East, Mr Miguel Angel Moratinos, struck a cautious note when he spoke to reporters after meeting President Hosni Mubarak yesterday.
"We are very much concerned about the situation," he said. "There is still some work to be done, we have tomorrow the gaps between Palestinians and Israel."
