Sarkozy says EU treaty comes before Turkey

By Paul Taylor

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - French President Nicolas Sarkozy said on Wednesday that breaking the European Union's deadlock over institutional reform was a more urgent priority than challenging Turkey's membership ambitions.

A week after taking office, Sarkozy met European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso to discuss his vision of a "simplified treaty" to replace the EU constitution, rejected by French voters in a 2005 referendum.

He also vowed to take an initiative to create an "economic government" for the countries that share the euro single currency without undermining the independence of the European Central Bank and pledged to stay tough in world trade talks.

The centre-right French leader said his top priority was to reach an agreement on a reform treaty at an EU summit next month to get the 27-nation bloc moving again after two years of political self-doubt and relative paralysis.

"I do not see the use of raising the issue of Turkey (at the summit) since it is not being discussed now. We have enough to cope with," Sarkozy told a joint news conference.

He said he continued to oppose Turkish EU membership but declined to say what France would do about Ankara's accession negotiations, begun in 2005, arguing there would be ample time later to discuss "the borders of Europe".

Sarkozy's inaugural visit to EU headquarters was part of an accelerating drive led by German Chancellor Angela Merkel to seek a deal at the June 21-22 Brussels summit.

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