French President Nicolas Sarkozy mooted the idea of a joint economic zone between Russia and Europe while attending an economic forum in St Petersburg, reported the Ria Nowosti news agency, according to dpa. "In this way, we can jointly organise our security," said Sarkozy, who also proposed joint efforts to combat organised crime and terrorism. Sarkozy also lent his backing to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's proposed European security contract. That plan has been met with a lack of enthusiasm by many Western countries, which see it as a Russian attempt to undermine the influence of NATO. -- SPA
