Turkish officials meet to discuss EU reforms

Abdullah Gul went into the meeting saying it was important to continue making reforms so Turkey will be ready when the EU is willing to fully resume membership talks.

EU leaders decided last month to partially freeze the talks due to Ankara's refusal to open its ports and airports to EU member Cyprus, whose government Turkey does not recognize.

Turkey insists it will only open its ports and airports after steps are taken to end the international isolation of a breakaway Turkish Cypriot republic in the island's north.

Turkey has vowed, nevertheless, to press ahead with other reforms.

At the opening of Wednesday's meeting, Gul said Turkey would "not deviate from the path of reforms whenever (relations with the EU) hit a low. Our aim is to ensure that Turkey is at a level where it has made progress on reforms.

"When the EU is ready for negotiations, we want to be a position where we can conclude them in a day."

Newspaper reports suggested Wednesday's meeting could focus on changes to article 301 of Turkey's penal code, which makes it a crime to insult Turkey or its officials, and which was used against the novelist who won this year's Nobel literature prize, Orhan Pamuk.

The EU has demanded that Turkey change article 301, saying it limits free expression and that Turkish prosecutors have shown themselves incapable of using it in a way that lives up to EU standards.

After months of defending the law, saying no one had yet gone to prison, Turkish officials have more recently said they were open to suggestions on how to change it.

Most cases brought under 301 have ended in acquittals or, like the one against Pamuk, were dropped on a technicality.

EU leaders decided to halt negotiations in eight out of 35 policy areas with Turkey over the Cyprus ports dispute.

Gul on Wednesday again criticized the EU for linking the country's membership bid to Cyprus.

"(They are) trying to put the Cyprus problem, which has nothing to do with the membership process, as an obstacle on our path," Gul said. "This is unacceptable."

Cyprus has been divided between a Greek Cypriot south and a Turkish-occupied north since 1974, when Turkey invaded after an abortive Athens-backed coup by supporters of union with Greece. The Associated Press

/The International Herald Tribune/