German chancellor designate Angela Merkel said Friday that she wanted "good and intense cooperation" with Turkey in spite of differences of opinion.

Merkel accepted invitation to visit Kurkey during talks with visiting Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul.

Merkel opposes Turkey's full membership of the European Union, preferring to a privileged partnership to the EU, while outgoing Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder has been strongly backing Turkey to join the European bloc as a full member.

Merkel's Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union (CSU) and Schroeder's Social Democratic Party (SPD) signed the coalition accord Friday, fudging the issue by leaving negotiations totally open-ended.

"If the EU is not capable or if Turkey is not in a position to fully uphold all obligations linked to membership then Turkey must be bound as close as possible to European structures through further developing its privileged partnership to the EU," says the coalition accord.

Source: Xinhua