German and Polish Foreign Ministers Meet To Mend Fences

German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer met with his Polish counterpart Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz in Berlin on Wednesday to discuss a deal that will allow adoption of a European Union constitution to go ahead. Talks at the last EU summit broke down after Poland clashed with France and Germany on the question of voting rights, blocking a provision in the constitution draft that would change EU voting arrangements to reflect the population size of member states. The new clause would reduce Poland's clout in the bloc, which expands in May from 15 to 25 members. Polish Prime Minister Leszek Miller has suggested Poland may be ready to compromise, although he stressed that the country would not simply surrender to German demands. On Friday, Fischer and Cimoszewicz are scheduled to meet French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin in order to bring an end to the row.