Austria seeks EU-Turkey pause if no move on Cyprus

BRUSSELS, Nov 13 (Reuters) Austria called today for a ''time-out'' in Turkey's membership negotiations with the European Union if Ankara does not move in a stand-off over trade with Cyprus before an EU summit next month.

But Turkey's chief negotiator warned that a pause carried risks for both sides and the EU's enlargement chief said there was still a chance to avoid a ''train wreck'' in relations with the strategically important Muslim candidate country.

''If there is no important move from here until December, it might be wise to agree on a time-out to reduce tensions,'' said Austrian Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik, whose country is among those most sceptical of Ankara's entry aspirations.

Speaking to reporters before an EU foreign ministers' meeting, she did not say how long such a break should last.

A group of former Turkish foreign ministers suggested last week that Ankara itself should call a pause in the negotiations until after Turkish parliamentary elections due next November.

But chief Turkish negotiator Ali Babacan told a Brussels panel discussion: ''We know that any pause in this process could have quite negative consequences not only for Turkey and the European Union but for the whole region.'' The European Commission last week gave Turkey until a December.

14-15 EU summit to open its ports to ships from Cyprus, as required by its customs union with the bloc, or face unspecified repercussions for its 13-month-old entry talks.

EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn, speaking on the same panel as Babacan staged by the German Marshall Fund of the United States, declined to spell out the likely consequences and said: ''Don't shout for defeat yet.'' PARTIAL FREEZE? Diplomats say a partial freeze of negotiations on some policy areas is the probable outcome if diplomatic efforts by EU President Finland to break the deadlock fail.

Rehn said there was still a chance to clinch a deal that would end the isolation of Turkish Cypriot northern Cyprus and enable Turkey to fulfil its EU obligation to open its ports to traffic from the Greek Cypriot part of the divided island.

''I refuse to believe that there is no such thing as a win-win situation in the eastern Mediterranean,'' he said.

Finnish Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja was to report to his colleagues on mediation efforts to find a solution to the Cyprus trade dispute, but he indicated that no early deal was likely.

''That will be some weeks off,'' Tuomioja told reporters.

Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn urged EU states to reach consensus on what action to take if Turkey did not open its ports to Cypriot shipping.

Analysts suggest some countries could call for an outright suspension of entry negotiations. EU officials say the bloc has no fixed procedure for deciding how to handle a failure by Ankara to meet its customs union obligations.

Maltese Foreign Minister Michael Frendo said there would be a ''major crisis'' if Turkey did not fulfil commitments to provide access to Cypriot shipping but argued against a full suspension of negotiations.

''I see great difficulty if it doesn't by December,'' he told reporters late on Sunday, arguing for a ''measured response'' from the EU if Ankara did not budge.

REUTERS PDM PM1724