(ANKARA) - More than 100 intellectuals called on the Turkish government in a joint text published Sunday to accelerate reforms to help Ankara's bid to join the European Union.

The declaration in the March issue of the monthly Kriter magazine coincided with widespread criticism of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government for having lost steam in its reform drive that enabled Turkey to begin accession talks with the bloc three years ago.

"There is no reason left not to fully embrace the EU project that has been ignored for the past three years," read the declaration, signed by academics, artists and journalists.

"We expect you to take concrete steps and compensate for the time lost," it added.

The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) had little time in 2007 to deal with EU reforms as a presidential election in April sparked a severe political crisis and prompted early general elections in July.

After winning a huge victory in the polls, the AKP promised more democracy reforms, but has since done nothing save for a bill to improve the rights of non-Muslim minorities.

Many, on the other hand, have criticized the AKP for favouring its own grassroots at the expense of the EU process, after it last month rushed through a bill lifting a ban on Islamic headscarves in universities.

The bill was adopted despite objections that the move undermined the Mulim majority country's secular order and could usher in religious rule.

"We expect action that will prove your understanding of freedom is not limited to the headscarf, that you stand by all rights and liberties and that your aim is not make concessions on secularism and estrange Turkey from the West and the world," the declaration said.

It urged immediate action on political and democracy reforms, among them a much-criticized penal code article that penalises "insulting Turkishness" and has been deemed an obstacle to free speech.

Turkey began EU accession negotiations in October 2005.

It has opened talks in six of 35 policy chapters that candidate countries must complete, but the EU froze talks in eight chapters in response to Ankara's refusal to grant trade privileges to Cyprus.

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