Turkey may have to agree to some tough conditions before EU member states agree to open membership negotiations. A draft of the conclusions for a meeting of EU leaders next month, circulated by the Dutch EU Presidency on Monday, set conditions that would mean Ankara having to recognize Cyprus and accept permanent restrictions on the movement of its workers. Reacting to the proposals, a spokesperson for Turkey said "this is just a draft of a draft" adding that the state of negotiations could change between now and the EU leaders' summit, which will take place on December 17.

Earlier this month, Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said that Turkey should not join the EU "at any cost." The possible permanent restriction of workers is a very sensitive issue for both sides of the negotiations. The issue of the divided island of Cyprus is also extremely sensitive for Ankara which only recognizes the Turkish northern half of the island but not the Greek southern part. However, for the moment the "no recognition" policy remains the same. "There will be no recognition of Greek Cyprus before the summit," said the spokesperson. For its part, Cyprus has indicated it will veto Turkey's application if there is no movement on this issue - negotiations can only start if all 25 member states agree. (EUObserver.com)