Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul meets in The Hague on Wednesday with EU leaders in the last high-level talks between the two sides in the run-up to December 17 when Turkey faces the moment of truth on its bid to join the European Union.

Gul was to discuss his country's prospects of starting accession talks with the so-called EU "troika," comprised of the current Dutch presidency, the next one, Luxembourg, and the European Commission.

The EU side was to be represented by the foreign ministers of the Netherlands and Luxembourg, Bernard Bot and Jean Asselborn, Dutch European Affairs Minister Atzo Nicolai, the EU's foreign policy chief Javier Solana and new enlargement commissioner Olli Rehn.

The gathering, held twice each year, has a special importance this time as it comes just days before EU leaders meet in Brussels on December 17 to make a decision on the explosive issue of whether to open membership negotiations with Turkey, a candidate since 1999.

A Europe-wide debate on whether the vast and relatively poor Muslim nation should be given the green light has been raging since October when the European Commission, the EU executive arm, said that Ankara had fulfilled the required political criteria and was ready to start accession talks.

While the British and German governments have expressed strong support for Ankara, another EU heavyweight -- France -- remains sceptical amid a deep rift among its leadership.

For Turkey, Wednesday's meeting will be an opportunity to hear from the Dutch presidency about how member nations are shaping their positions ahead of the December 17 summit, a Turkish diplomat said.

The two sides will also discuss how the democracy reforms that Turkey has adopted in order to align with EU norms are being implemented on the ground.

Brussels has often charged that the implementation of many amendments has been uneven and ineffective.

The Turkish side, for its part, is expected to renew complaints that harder conditions are being put forward to Ankara than to other candidates.

Turkey has been irked by several recommendations that the European Commission made in its otherwise favorable report of October 6.

The document said that accession talks with Turkey would be open-ended and mentioned the possibility of permanently barring Turkish nationals from moving freely in the bloc, if their country becomes a member one day.

It also suggested that the EU should screen Turkish law to see how compatible it is with EU legislation, a procedure which would delay the actual opening of talks.

Turkey, an official membership candidate since 1999, demands that accession talks start in the first half of 2005.

Dutch Foreign Minister Bot recently estimated that if negotiations start next year, they could be completed in about 10 years.

Asked whether Turkey's entry into the EU by 2015 was realistic, Bot replied "yes."

Turkey's opponents, who maintain that the populous Muslim nation is not fit for EU membership, say Ankara should be given a special partnership status rather than full membership. Turkey has categorically rejected such a prospect.

Another thorny issue is Ankara's refusal to acknowledge the internationally-recognized Greek Cypriot government of EU member Cyprus, which, for its part, has hinted it could use its veto power to block Turkey's bid.