Turkey urges EU to set date for accession talks

President Ahmet Necdet Sezer has urged the leaders of the 15 EU countries to set a date for accession talks with Turkey at their Copenhagen summit in December, a Turkish official said.

Sezer has sent letters to his EU counterparts, detailing a series of democratic reforms recently adopted by Turkey, the president's spokesman Tacan Ildem told a news conference.

"The political criteria are being met," Ildem said.

Sezer and his foreign minister, Sukru Sina Gurel, will travel to Copenhagen on Oct 28 to meet with European leaders, the spokesman said. "We are expecting a prudent outcome from the Copenhagen summit and a decision for starting accession talks (with Turkey) in 2003 should be taken," he added.

Earlier this month, the European Commission said Turkey was not yet ready to start membership talks as it did not meet the political criteria, citing restrictions on freedom of thought and expression as well as widespread allegations of torture.