Turkey 'should not torpedo EU talks over Cyprus'

The Turkish government’s spokesman said today that the dispute over the divided island of Cyprus should not “torpedo” the country’s European Union membership talks, after European efforts to reach a compromise failed to resolve the issue.

“It is not right to torpedo relations between Turkey and EU, which are deep and of mutual interest,” Justice Minister Cemil Cicek, the government spokesman, said after a Cabinet meeting. “There is no reason to break up the negotiations. Cyprus is not a precondition for membership.”