(DAVOS) - Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan warned the European Union against becoming a "club of Christians" as he pushed Saturday for Ankara's membership in the bloc.

"If the EU finds itself as a club of Christians.... it is against the very soul of the EU," Babacan told reporters on the sidelines of the annual World Economic Forum in the Swiss ski resort of Davos.

EU heavyweights France and Germany are both opposed to full Turkish membership, and French President Nicolas Sarkozy has been particularly vocal on the issue, arguing that the mainly Muslim country does not belong in Europe.

Babacan regretted that the issue of religion had apparently become a factor in the debate on Turkey's accession.

"Religious lines should never be presented as a border," he said, adding that the current 27-nation composition of the European bloc already contained "huge differences" in terms of culture, religion and language.

"Yet, these countries have been successful to find communality," he said.

"At the end of the road, the decision has to be made over whether Turkey is going to add new richness to the EU, so that the EU has a truly global voice and a truly representative voice," he added.

Babacan also argued that allowing Turkey into the EU would allow the bloc to act as a bridge between the West and the Islamic world.

France and Germany have proposed offering a "privileged partnership" instead of full membership -- a compromise flatly rejected earlier this month by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Turkey has so far opened talks in six of the 35 policy fields that candidates are required to complete before accession.

The EU froze negotiations on eight chapters in 2006 in response to Turkey's refusal to grant trade privileges to Cyprus, which Ankara does not recognise, under a customs union pact with the bloc.

Text and Picture Copyright 2008 AFP. All other Copyright 2008 EUbusiness Ltd. All rights reserved. This material is intended solely for personal use. Any other reproduction, publication or redistribution of this material without the written agreement of the copyright owner is strictly forbidden and any breach of copyright will be considered actionable.