Germany says now not time to expand EU membership talks with Turkey

BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel's government is sticking to its position that now is not the time for the European Union to start discussing any new policy areas with Turkey in its talks to join the bloc, a government spokesman said on Wednesday. "Chancellor Merkel's position on the accession talks has not changed," spokesman Steffen Seibert told reporters when asked about a newspaper report that suggested Merkel wanted to stop talks with Turkey altogether. "The EU and Turkey have been negotiating for years without determining the result in advance. Under the current circumstances, the opening of further negotiating chapters is not conceivable," Seibert added. (Reporting by Madeline Chambers, Michelle Martin, Sabine Siebold)