Sarkozy: Merkel wont play active role in French campaign

President Nicolas Sarkozy said Wednesday that German Chancellor Angela Merkel would visit France to "talk about Europe" with him but would not take direct part in the country's election campaign. Merkel has publicly thrown her support behind fellow right-winger Sarkozy in his bid for re-election in the April-May two-round vote, but reports that she would actively campaign for him raised hackles. Speaking on Europe 1 radio, Sarkozy said Merkel would visit France "at some point or another" but would not attend any campaign events "because an election campaign is the French people's business." He said she would "talk about Europe" during the visit, adding: "It is not unusual that we speak together." In a joint interview with Sarkozy in Paris last month, Merkel said it was "natural" that she support him in the campaign because "we belong to the same political family." But reports that she would join him on the campaign trail sparked accusations of foreign interference, and Sarkozy has since adopted a more eurosceptic tone in his stump speeches.