Austria called today for a pause in Turkey's membership talks with the European Union if Ankara does not yield in a stand-off over trade with Cyprus before an EU summit next month.
"If there is no important move from here until December, it might be wise to agree on a time-out to reduce tensions," said Austrian Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik, whose country is among those most sceptical of Ankara's entry aspirations.
Austrian Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik
She did not say how long such a break should last.
But Turkey's chief negotiator warned that any pause carried risks for both sides, and the EU's enlargement chief said there was still a chance to avoid a "train wreck" in relations with the strategically important Muslim candidate country.
An Austrian spokesman said Ms Plassnik was calling for a voluntary reflection period, not a formal suspension of talks.
A group of former Turkish foreign ministers suggested last week that Ankara itself should call a pause in the negotiations until after Turkish parliamentary elections due next November.
The European Commission last week gave Turkey until a December 14-15th EU summit to open its ports to ships from Cyprus, as required by its customs union with the bloc, or face unspecified repercussions for its 13-month-old entry talks.