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Hollande, Merkel to meet in Berlin next Tuesday

Xinhua, May 11, 2012

• French president-elect Francois Hollande will have his first meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin on May 15.

  Shortly after the inauguration ceremony to succeed incumbent President Nicolas Sarkozy as France's new head of state, Hollande will fly to Berlin in the afternoon as a working dinner and a press conference between the two leaders have been planned on May 15, the French new agency AFP reported Thursday.

  The eurozone debt crisis is expected on the top of the agenda at the highly-anticipated meeting.

  France's new president had pledged in his election campaign to renegotiate the European fiscal treaty signed by 25 leaders of European Union (EU) member countries which aims to help debt-stricken eurozone nations reverse the morose economic situations.

  He proposed to add pro-growth policies to the fiscal treaty characterised by austerity.

  However, Merkel had earlier urged European partner countries sticking to what they have agreed for the fiscal treaty. She rejected Thursday proposals of economic stimulus measures, stressing "growth on credit" would drag the Europe area into deeper debt crisis.

  Hollande had oriented himself to become acquainted with European diplomatic domain. He had started his first encounter with European officials by receiving European Council President Herman Van Rompuy and President of the Eurogroup Jean-Claude Juncker within two days, to exchange views on the EU and the ongoing eurozone debt crisis.

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