Chirac, Kohl hold talks in Bonn

THE French President, Mr Jacques Chirac, arrived in Bonn last night for informal talks with German Chancellor, Dr Helmut Kohl. The talks were aimed at allaying German fears over sweeping defence cuts which Paris plans to announce next week.

Mr Chirac flew by helicopter from Bonn airport to a prig dinner with Dr Kohl at the Chancellor's bungalow.

German officials have accused the French government of breaching a 1963 defence treaty between the two countries when Paris failed to consult Bonn on defence reforms in February.

The German Defence Minister, Mr Volker Ruhe, warned this week that future military co-operation could be put at risk if French plans to end conscription and transform the role of the army went ahead.

"If they give up the draft and compulsory national service and I stress this has not happened yet then things would break apart," he said.

Bonn fears that the French reforms could leave Germany bearing a greater defence burden in Europe and shift Nato's focus towards long range operations.

Mr Chirac and Dr Kohl were expected to use last night's meeting to co-ordinate a joint strategy in advance of next month's G7 meeting in Lyons and the EU summit in Florence.

Both men have recently restated their commitment to the introduction of a single European currency in 1999, despite the fact that neither France nor Germany would qualify for entry under the present economic criteria.

Bonn leaders have consistently proclaimed their determination to maintain the strict low debt, low inflation conditions of entry, but there are growing signs that Dr Kohl would prefer to weaken the criteria than to postpone the introduction of the euro.

French plans to cut its order of a new Franco German military helicopter have angered Bonn officials, who have hinted that they may demand that the helicopter be manufactured exclusively in Germany.

However, Dr Kohl, who regards the Paris Bonn axis as the backbone of his cherished project of European integration, is likely to avoid a confrontation with his French counterpart, even at the price of upsetting his domestic constituency.