New doubts about Turkish EU bid

The European Union today cancelled a meeting in Helsinki set for Sunday and Monday with the foreign ministers of Cyprus and Turkey, which it had called to prevent the collapse of Turkey’s EU membership talks.

The announcement was another setback for Turkey’s EU bid.

It opened membership talks in October 2005.

However, since then opposition has grown to bringing a large, poor, Muslim nation to the bloc, especially one slow to embrace basic political reforms and effectively refusing to recognise EU member Cyprus.

Finnish Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja said he will meet tomorrow with Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat in Brussels.

The EU wants Ankara to drop its refusal to open Turkish ports to Cypriot planes and ships.

Ankara wants the EU to do more to end the isolation of Turkish Cypriots, whose government only Turkey recognises.

Tuomioja said in a statement at issue were “questions related to direct trade between the EU and the northern part of Cyprus” and “the uninterrupted continuation of Turkey’s accession negotiations. We have been prepared to arrange a round of talks (with) all parties in Finland. Unfortunately, this has not been possible.”