EU slams Turkey in draft progress report-paper

ISTANBUL, June 18 (Reuters) The EU criticises the Turkish military's role in politics, a lack of reform and minority rights and relations with Cyprus in the draft of a progress report due later this year, a newspaper reported today.

The European Union is due to publish a progress report on Ankara's entry bid in October or November, a year on from the start of negotiations, which on Friday turned frosty as Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said he would sooner see talks suspended than make concessions over new member Cyprus.

Turkey's Cumhuriyet newspaper today cited European Union sources as saying the first draft criticised Turkey's refusal to open its ports to Cyprus, as the EU demands, before the bloc lifts trade restrictions on Turkish Cypriots in breakaway Northern Cyprus.

The paper said the draft also notes a slowdown in political reform, the military's ongoing influence over political institutions and calls for more work for judicial independence and rights for women and minorities.

It also says conditions in the poor mainly Kurdish southeast, where security forces are fighting separatist guerrillas, have deteriorated and criticises relations with traditional enemies and eighbours Greece and Armenia.

The paper said the draft would be amended but the sources did not expect many changes to the essence of it.

EU leaders at a summit in Brussels on Friday shot back at Erdogan's comments about Cyprus, with calls for Turkey to allow in traffic from the tiny Mediterranean island by the end of the year.

Last week Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker was quoted as saying membership talks should be frozen if Turkey does not open its ports this year.

EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn has said Turkey, which is not expected to join the wealthy bloc until 2015 at the earliest, could be heading for a ''train crash'' in its accession process and has urged Ankara to step up reforms.

REUTERS KD BST1543