Turkey pushes troubled EU bid

Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan yesterday renewed his commitment to European Union membership on a rare visit to Brussels aimed at boosting slow-moving talks to join the 27-nation bloc.

Mr Erdogan received support from EU Commission President José Manuel Barroso, who said Turkey had started the year well by enacting EU-required reforms.

Underlining the sensitivity of the troubled talks, Mr Erdogan started his visit by threatening to reconsider support for the EU-backed Nabucco gas pipeline project because of a Cypriot veto on energy-related aspects of Ankara's membership negotiations.

The $12 billion project, which would bring Middle Eastern and Caspian gas to Europe via Turkey, is seen as one of Europe's best hopes for limiting its dependence on Russian gas.

The need for alternative sources was highlighted by this month's cut-off of Russian supplies via Ukraine.

Later, after meeting Mr Barroso, Mr Erdogan said he would never use Nabucco as a weapon and that he fully backed the project. The two insisted EU-Turkey energy cooperation was crucial.

Turkey began EU accession negotiations in 2005 but has made slow progress in a climate of political distractions at home and a lack of appetite for further enlargement among EU states.

Ankara has opened talks on 10 out of the 35 policy areas, or chapters, it needs for EU entry but has provisionally completed negotiations on just one. The EU has frozen eight chapters as Ankara refuses to open its ports and airports to Greek Cypriots.

Analysts said Mr Erdogan's comments on Nabucco reflected frustration with the slow rate of progress.

"Sometimes he gets slightly carried away in the heat of the moment," said Amanda Akcakoca of the Brussels-based European Policy Centre. "Maybe he was just letting off a bit of steam over his frustration about the way the talks with Turkey are blocked unnecessarily."

"I think the prime minister wanted to raise awareness about the problems the Cyprus government poses," said Sinan Ulgen, head of the Istanbul-based Centre for Economics and Foreign Policy Studies.

Analysts say Turkey has put EU-required reforms on the back burner and view 2009 as key to rebuild momentum in the talks.

Mr Erdogan, on his first trip to the EU capital in four years, stressed Turkey was determined to boost preparations for EU accession and wanted to achieve full membership.

"Accession to the EU is a top priority," Mr Erdogan said. "I hope there will be a leap in 2009."

Mr Ulgen said Turkey had failed in recent years to put commitments to step up EU reforms into action, and it remained to be seen whether things would be any different this time.

The EU wants Ankara to reform its constitution, improve free speech, grant more rights to minorities and curb the power of the army. Mr Erdogan said Turkey was working hard on many of these reforms, including laws governing trade unions.

Mr Barroso said the EU executive fully backed Turkey's accession preparations and urged Ankara to step up reforms.

He said the launch of a Kurdish-language channel on state television and the appointment of Turkey's first full-time EU negotiator were positive steps. "In that sense the year 2009 started well," he said.