AUSTRIA: Austria's Chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel has told the Dutch EU presidency that any decision to start membership talks with Turkey must be "open-ended" so that alternatives to full EU membership could be considered.
Mr Schüssel told the Dutch Prime Minister, Mr Jan Peter Balkenende, in Vienna yesterday that EU leaders should make clear to Turkey that negotiations could lead to a lesser status, such as a "privileged partnership" with the EU.
"It is not about closing the door, but rather about opening negotiations that can include accession but also could achieve an independent result that is unique," Mr Schüssel said.
EU leaders are expected to agree at a summit in Brussels tomorrow evening to start membership talks with Ankara, but some countries, including Austria and France, want strict conditions attached.
Turkey's Prime Minister, Mr Tayyip Erdogan, told members of his Justice and Development Party yesterday that Turkey would not consider anything less than full EU membership.
"After a 40-year adventure, we expect the EU to announce a date for negotiations ... We want full membership without conditions ... and expect sincerity from the EU," he said.
CNN Turk television yesterday quoted Mr Erdogan as telling EU ambassadors that Turkey would not hesitate to say no to the EU if the deal on opening membership talks includes "unacceptable issues".
Turkey's Foreign Minister, Mr Abdullah Gul, yesterday ruled out Turkish recognition of the Greek Cypriot state, which joined the EU in May, in advance of this week's summit.
"While there is no lasting settlement Turkey will not take any steps which would mean recognising it directly or indirectly," he said.
EU leaders will discuss Turkey over dinner tomorrow evening and the Dutch presidency has not allocated any further time to the issue before the summit ends on Friday morning. Diplomats predict, however, that the discussion could be lengthy, with sceptical leaders demanding preconditions that Turkey's supporters, led by Germany and Britain, are likely to resist.
Some leaders fear that agreeing to start talks with Turkey could endanger referendums on the EU's constitutional treaty, which will be held in a number of EU countries next year. Votes in France, Denmark and the Netherlands are seen as particularly vulnerable to a backlash over Turkey.
Mr Schüssel said he was not opposed in principle to starting negotiations with Turkey but insisted that alternatives to full EU membership must remain on the table.
"Turkey has made great steps in the direction of Europe, and we have to recognise this explicitly and encourage them. But in my mind it is important that we do not formulate it as an all-or-nothing, but rather that we try to make the openness of the process visible," he said.
Although Turkey is the main issue at tomorrow's summit, EU leaders will also discuss anti-terrorism measures.
Michael Jansen in Nicosia adds: President Tassos Papadopoulos of Cyprus has warned that if Turkey does not meet EU and Cypriot conditions for entry, he could veto a date for the start of negotiations with Ankara.
He said he will take his decision "at the 11th hour" based on the EU approach to the issue. He insists that Turkey must extend its 1963 Association Agreement with the EU to include the 10 new members, thereby tacitly recognising the Cyprus government.
At present, Turkey recognises only the breakaway Turkish Cypriot administration.