French President Denies Rift With Merkel : Report

Berlin, May 6, IRNA – French President Francois Hollande stressed there were no “personal animosities” between him and German Chancellor Angela Merkel amid differences over how to overcome the European economic crisis, the weekly news magazine Der Spiegel said in a report Sunday. Hollande dismissed German media reports that Paris had postponed its political cooperation with Berlin on much-needed European Union reforms until after Germany’s September parliamentary elections. According to German news reports, France and Germany have even halted working-level ties between the Elysee Palace and the chancellery. Franco-German ties have turned sour after Merkel openly supported the unsuccessful reelection campaign of ex-French president Nicolas Sarkozy. While Berlin has repeatedly tried to downplay the tensions between Hollande and Merkel, political observers believe the dispute between both leaders on rescuing the EU economy could have serious implications for the future of the 27-nation body./end