German Chancellor Angela Merkel is to meet French President Nicolas Sarkozy later Monday to address the two country's major disputes on the European Union.
"Important decisions" are expected to be made before France takes over the presidency of the European Union in July, said a German government spokesman.
The two leaders, who abruptly canceled their planned summit last week, will meet Monday on the sidelines of the CEBIT electronics fair in the northern German city of Hanover.
The rescheduling of the meeting has raise concerns over a diplomatic spat between the two major EU nations.
France has been calling for a Mediterranean Union, which will include its former North African colonies for regional cooperation. Germany fears that such a union would undermine or even divide the European Union.
Among other issues, the two leaders also clashed over the independent role of the European Central Bank as well as the use of nuclear power as energy sources.
However, Merkel denied that Germany and France are undergoing a difficult time.
It was "totally wrong to talk of a difficult period in Franco-German relations," she told German weekly Der Spiegel.
"Having a close relationship with France is exceptionally important for me and I am very attached to it," Merkel said.
Source:Xinhua
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