EU to seek partial freeze in Turkey talks-source

BRUSSELS, Nov 29 (Reuters) The European Commission decided today to recommend a partial suspension of Turkey's negotiations to join the European Union after it failed to open its ports to EU member Cyprus, EU sources said.

The EU executive proposed freezing talks on eight of the 35 policy areas or ''chapters'' into which the accession talks are divided, one source said.

The recommendation came after talks brokered by the EU's Finnish presidency on the Cyprus trade issue failed on Monday.

''The Commission wants to send a signal that Turkey must meet its obligations,'' a senior EU official said.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair, speaking after meeting Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan at a NATO summit in Riga, said the EU should not send a negative signal to Turkey.

''We have got to make sure we allow Turkey's accession to proceed,'' Blair said. ''Just at the moment to send an adverse signal to Turkey I think would be a serious mistake for Europe long-term.'' EU foreign ministers will take the decision on December 11.

Before then, Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen is due to visit Turkey on Friday but the Commission move seems unlikely to persuade Ankara to soften its stance on Cyprus, diplomats said.

The policy sectors to be frozen involve the free movement of goods, capital and services, as well as customs, trade, transport, agriculture and fisheries, the sources said.

The Commission would recommend that negotiations proceed on the other chapters. So far, Turkey has provisionally concluded talks on just one chapter -- science and research. Cyprus is blocking the opening of any more sectoral negotiations.

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