Sarkozy warm on EU-Canada trade pact

QUEBEC CITY, Oct. 17 (UPI) -- On a visit to Canada, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said he was "one of the most involved leaders" seeking an EU-Canadian trade pact.

In an exchange with the Canwest News Service, Sarkozy wrote from Quebec City as the rotating president of the European Union, he favored a trade pact.

"It is not a coincidence that Canada is the only country mentioned in the engagement letter that I sent after my election to all ministers of the (European) government to guide their actions, namely in the area of government reform," he wrote. "I am one of the most involved political leaders in favor of an ambitious economic partnership between the EU and Canada."

Sarkozy was scheduled to meet Friday with newly re-elected Prime Minister Stephen Harper and address the provincial legislature. He is to attend a summit of the Francophonie, an organization of 55 French-speaking states and governments.

Sarkozy is to then fly to Camp David, Md., for a Saturday meeting with U.S. President George Bush.