| Recep Tayyip Erdogan |
In comments Sunday, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey was in no position to renegotiate so close to the start of EU accession talks, which are scheduled to begin this October. Mr. Erdogan said that would not be "honest politics."
Last week EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said the bloc should have an open debate on Turkey's candidacy.
But British Prime Minister Tony Blair warned against shutting the EU to new members like Turkey, remarks welcomed by Mr. Erdogan.
Opposition to the largely Muslim nation's membership in the European bloc contributed to the defeat of the EU constitution in recent referenda in France and the Netherlands.
Some information for this story provided by AFP and AP.
