"European Union Still Split on Turks
By GRAHAM BOWLEY
Published: September 30, 2005
By GRAHAM BOWLEY
LONDON, Sept. 29 - The European Union, seeking a consensus on terms for membership talks with Turkey that are set to begin Monday, failed to reach one Thursday.
A meeting of European Union ambassadors in Brussels broke up after Austria insisted the talks could open only if they were to include the offer of an alternative to full membership. Britain, which holds the rotating European presidency, called a meeting of foreign ministers of the 25 member states for Sunday to try again. The failure to reach consensus reveals tensions in Europe about starting talks with Turkey, a large, poor country that would be the first largely Muslim member."
More:European Union Still Split on Turks - New York Times