Turkey slams EU sanctions but vows to keep up reforms

Turkey on Tuesday denounced as "unfair" a European Union decision to slow down its troubled accession talks, but pledged to stick to the path of reform to catch up with EU standards.

Turkish leaders accused the 25-member bloc of "lacking vision" on this secular Muslim nation's role in East-West relations and urged Brussels to throw its weight behind efforts to resolve the Cyprus conflict, which lies at the core of the current turmoil.

EU foreign ministers agreed in Brussels late Monday to freeze Turkey's accession talks in eight of the 35 policy areas candidates must complete, in response to Ankara's refusal to open its sea and air ports to Cyprus under a customs union accord.

"Despite all our good will, this decision is unfortunately unfair treatment of Turkey," Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a speech in parliament.

"This decision fails to reflect the level that Turkish-EU relations have reached," he said. "It also contradicts the objective (of full membership) that we have determined together with the EU."

The sanctions, to be formally adopted at an EU summit Thursday and Friday, came as a blow to Turkey's bid a little more than a year after accession talks got off to a turbulent start in October 2005 amid widespread public opposition in Europe to the country's membership.

Erdogan slammed "EU foreign policy" and criticized Brussels for failing to recognize Turkey's importance in a "global perspective."

"In the absence of such vision, problems like Cyprus are damaging our relations," he said.

But both Erdogan and his Foreign Minister, Abdullah Gul, pledged to pursue reforms to align Turkey with EU political and economic norms.

"Whatever the EU says, the reform process in Turkey will continue," the Anatolia news agency quoted Gul as saying. "Economic and democratic reforms must be achieved with courage and determination."

The EU decided that Turkey can open accession talks in policy areas other than the eight chapters that were suspended, but cannot formally complete them as long as the dispute over Cyprus remains unsolved.

EU officials say Ankara's membership talks could resume quickly as three chapters -- on economic and monetary union, financial control and industrial policy -- are technically ready to be opened.

But one Turkish official painted a grimmer picture.

"No one is able to give any guarantees that the Greek Cypriots will not oppose" the opening of chapters, the official said Tuesday, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Asked whether Turkey would downgrade its ties with the bloc, the official said: "I don't know if there is such a plan. Honesty and transparency are the foundations of a relationship. If they are lacking, then the aggrieved party sets the tone of the relationship."

The row stems from Ankara's refusal to endorse the internationally recognized Greek Cypriot government that rules the south of the divided island. Turkey is also the only country to recognize the breakaway Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).

Ankara insists that its ports will remain off-limits to Greek Cypriot vessels until the EU keeps its promises to ease the TRNC's international isolation.

The EU made the pledges in April 2004, after Turkish Cypriots voted for a UN plan to end the island's 32-year division, which was killed off by a strong "no" by the Greek Cypriot side in a simultanous referendum.

The outcome ensured the Greek Cypriot side alone joined the EU in May 2004.

Ankara accuses the Greek Cypriots, backed by Greece and other EU countries cool to Turkey's membership, of using their membership as leverage to extract concessions on Cyprus.

"It has become obvious that the Greek Cypriots are capitalizing on the absence of a settlement" in Cyprus, Erdogan said. "We expect the EU to see this reality and push the Greek Cypriots towards a settlement in the shortest possible time."

In one small consolation for Ankara, EU officials admitted Monday they had failed to keep their promises to the Turkish Cypriots and agreed to discuss the issue during ministerial talks in January.