French President Jacques Chirac and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder met Friday in this eastern city to discuss the crisis in Iraq and Turkey's eventual entry into the European Union. Chirac was expected to address the question of holding a referendum in France on Turkey's membership in the EU, a topic under increasing debate here. Leaders of the 25 EU nations are to decide at a Brussels meeting Dec. 17-18 whether or not to open negotiations with Ankara. The crises in Iraq and the Middle East also were among items on the agenda of the informal talks that began at the local prefecture and were continuing at a restaurant in the Alsatian capital. The meeting, part of regular bilateral talks that the two leaders hold, comes a month after they traveled to Russia for talks with President Vladimir Putin. The three-way summit at Putin's residence in the Black Sea resort of Sochi brought together the leaders for the third time since they united in strong opposition to the U.S. invasion of Iraq. All three nations have refused to send troops to Iraq to help in peacekeeping and rebuilding efforts. France and Germany have said they would help train Iraqi officers but only outside Iraq, while Russia has offered to help train civilian personnel and said it would consider restructuring Iraq's multibillion dollar debt through the Paris club of creditor nations.
