All 25 foreign ministers agreed -- after 10 hours of debate on Dec. 11 -- to freeze eight of 35 negotiating "chapters" in entry negotiations relating to transport and trade, significantly slowing down Turkey's membership talks.

The consensus came as a surprise after weeks of division within the EU over how to punish Turkey for refusing to honor a 2005 pact to open its ports and airports to 10 new EU members -- including Cyprus, whose Greek Cypriot government Ankara does not recognize.

"We have unanimity," said Finland's foreign minister, Erkki Tuomioja, who chaired the talks.

The foreign ministers also stressed the importance of yearly reviews of Turkey's progress in the membership talks that began in 2005 and are expected to last at least a decade.

The Japan Times Weekly: Dec. 16, 2006
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