PARIS (Reuters) - The European Union should suspend further enlargement of the bloc after French and Dutch voters rejected its constitution, France's powerful interior minister said on Monday in a veiled reference to Turkey's entry bid.

Sarkozy, who has presidential ambitions and heads the ruling Union for a Popular Movement (UMP), said Bulgaria and Romania should be allowed to join because their accession process had already gone too far to be stopped. They hope to join in 2007.

Sarkozy, whose straight talking has helped make him France's most popular politician, did not mention Turkey by name. But his remarks were a clear shot across the bows of the Ankara government, which is due to open EU accession talks on October 3.

Turkey is increasingly nervous that its bid will fall victim to rising public hostility to accepting new countries into the EU which was highlighted by the French and Dutch votes.

"We have to suspend enlargement at least until the institutions have been modernised," Sarkozy said. "Europe cannot enlarge indefinitely."

After the French and Dutch votes, EU leaders agreed at a fractious summit this month to put back moves to ratify the EU charter, which is intended to make decision-making smoother in the EU following its enlargement to 25 members in May last year.

Sarkozy, 50, openly opposed Turkish membership during the EU charter campaign, a stance credited with ensuring his UMP avoided the divisions in the opposition Socialist party.

French President Jacques Chirac has said the EU must honour its pledge to start entry talks with Turkey but promised voters the final say in a referendum. Sarkozy says Ankara should be offered a privileged partnership with the EU instead.

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A senior Turkish diplomat, speaking on condition he not be identified, played down Sarkozy's remarks.

"Every politician has the right to express his views, but let us not forget that every EU government has its signature under the December 17 decision (to open accession talks with Turkey in October)," the diplomat said.

"Whatever any politician may say, it does not change that decision."

In Warsaw, German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer said Europe must honour its word even if it was unpopular.

"The EU must do what it promised to do. However, if we think we can enlarge without deepening integration and closing ranks, then from this crisis we can tumble into a bigger one," he said.

EU Commission spokeswoman Krisztina Nagy said EU leaders had agreed to start accession negotiations with Turkey and Croatia once they qualified. States in the Western Balkans would also, in the future, be able to seek entry talks.

Sarkozy spoke after meeting French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin, who was meeting leaders of all major parties to discuss French policy towards Europe in the wake of voters' firm rejection of the EU charter in a May 29 referendum.

Rejection of the EU constitution dealt a huge blow to Chirac, who was forced to reshuffle his cabinet and recall arch rival Sarkozy. Chirac, 72, has yet to say whether he will run for a third term but political analysts say his referendum defeat and subsequent ratings collapse make that unlikely.