EU assembly adopts critical report on Turkey

STRASBOURG, France, Sep 27 (Reuters) The European Parliament warned Turkey today it must speed up far-reaching reforms if it wants to join the European Union.

EU lawmakers adopted a highly critical, non-binding report which accused Ankara of failing to live up to promises it made to win the green light from EU leaders to start talks last October on joining the bloc.

''The European Parliament ... regrets the slowing down of the reform process,'' the report said.

It said Turkey had shown ''insufficient progress'' on freedom of expression, religious and minority rights, women's rights and the rule of law since the start of accession talks.

It demanded Turkey fulfil its obligation to open its ports and airports to EU member Cyprus under a customs agreement.

Ankara has refused to do so unless the EU fulfils a pledge to end the economic isolation of Turkish Cypriot northern Cyprus.

But parliament voted to delete a clause which would have sought to make recognition by Ankara of the mass killing of Armenians in Ottoman Turkey as ''genocide'' a precondition for EU membership. The clause had particularly angered Turkey.

However, parliament said it ''reiterates its call on Turkey to acknowledge the Armenian genocide, as called for in previous European parliament resolutions''.

European Commissioner Louis Michel, speaking on behalf of the EU executive, had warned lawmakers yesterday that making it a precondition of membership would be ''moving the goalposts''.

''FIRM BUT FAIR'' Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan told an economic conference in Istanbul that his government was ''determined to work with the EU with a constructive understanding'' but would not accept any discrimination or new criteria for membership.

''You cannot change the rules during the match. The rules of play are clear. The game has begun,'' Erdogan said.

Turkey's chief EU negotiator Ali Babacan played down the report's significance. ''We assess this report as a foreign assessment, an alternative view which must be taken into account but too much importance should not be attached to it,'' he said.

The report by Dutch lawmaker Camiel Eurlings did not call for a halt or suspension of talks with Turkey. Eurlings told parliament it was ''fair but tough'' and urged Turkey to see it as ''a motivation to speed up reforms''.

''I am sorrowed that I had to draft such a damning report, but the ball is now firmly in Turkey's court,'' Eurlings told a news conference amid high security.

A number of EU lawmakers involved in putting together the report have received threats. Dutch Green MEP Joost Lagendijk is employing bodyguards following his recent visits to Turkey.

''Let's just say there was a lot of heavy lobbying from all sides and it was very emotive,'' a parliament source told Reuters.

Any country wishing to enter the 25-member bloc, set to become 27 when Romania and Bulgaria join on January. 1, must receive the approval of the EU's directly elected assembly.

Parliament has never tried to veto an accession, but has pressured EU hopefuls to speed up reforms in the past.

The 80 amendments put forward highlighted deep divisions within the assembly over Turkey's possible membership.

Many members of the centre-right European People's Party, the largest group, are cool on Turkey's bid to join. The ruling parties of Germany and France, which dominate the group, favour ''privileged partnership'' rather than full membership.

The European Commission is due to deliver its next regular progress report on Turkey on Nov. 8 and has promised to take parliament's views into account. EU Enlargement Commissioner Ollie Rehn will visit Ankara next week to meet Turkish leaders.

REUTERS AB RK2008