Tusk 'cautiously optimistic' over potential Turkey-EU refugee deal

European Council President Donald Tusk said he is more "cautious" than "optimistic" about all 28 EU leaders agreeing on a refugee and migrant deal with Turkey at a summit on Thursday.

"First, the agreement must be acceptable to all 28 member states, no matter [how] big or small," Tusk said in a statement ahead of the summit on Thursday.

"The agreement must effectively help to solve the migration crisis and contribute to our comprehensive strategy, which includes getting back to Schengen, ending the wave-through policy, humanitarian assistance to Greece, support to the Western Balkans and, of course, the reinforced cooperation with Turkey," he added.

"Only if we all work together in a coordinated manner and keep our cool, will we achieve success," Tusk said. "I am cautiously optimistic, but, frankly speaking, more cautious than optimistic."

Under Turkey's proposal to the EU, the country has requested that the 28-nation bloc "share the burden'' based on the formula that "for every Syrian readmitted by Turkey from the Greek islands, another Syrian will be resettled from Turkey to the EU member states."

Ankara has also requested visa-free travel for its citizens by the end of June, a speeding up Turkey's accession talks, and an additional 3 billion euros to meet the needs of Syrian refugees in Turkey.

Turkey is hosting the largest number of Syrian refugees in the world and has spent more than 7 billion euros on meeting the needs of the refugees, according to European Commission figures released last year.

Over the past year, hundreds of thousands of refugees have crossed the Aegean Sea to reach Greece. This has placed a huge strain on the austerity-hit EU member state and has threatened the EU's internal open border system, as countries to the north of Greece impose frontier restrictions.‘WE ARE IN TALKS TO WORK OUT A SOLUTION'

"We are in talks with Cyprus, with Turkey, with Greece to work out an amicable solution," European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker added later in the day.

In an interview with Germany's Handelsblatt newspaper, Juncker said that Turkey is not ready for EU membership and "I believe it still won't be ready in 10 years."

Cyprus is considered to be a potential stumbling block. The island, which is in the midst of delicate reunification talks with the Turkish-backed north, has been resisting Ankara's demands for quick progress on its long-running EU membership bid.