” “"The negotiations will go on, but slower". The Accession Commissioner, Olli Rehn, explained, in Brussels today, the decision taken on the relations between the 25 EU member states and Ankara. The Commission intends to suggest to the Council to partly stop the negotiations (8 files out of 32), following "the failure of the negotiations for the opening of the Turkish ports" to ships coming from Cyprus. "We will be ready to go back to the usual speed added Rehn as soon as Turkey fulfils its commitments" with the Union. The head of the Turkish Government, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, reacted immediately and defined this decision as "unacceptable". The political comments in Brussels, where a two-day session of the EU Parliament is starting today, cross with news from Istanbul about the Pope’s visit in Turkey. Just yesterday, Benedict XVI had expressed "his wish that Turkey might join the EU". The next deadlines for the Turkish files have been fixed at 6th December (the deadline established by the Finnish presidency for fulfilment of the Ankara protocol) and at 14th-15th December, with the summit of the heads of state and government of the EU member states.” ” ” ” ” “
