Greece wants summit on Turkey's EU membership bid

(ATHENS/AFP) - "We want a membership procedure that is real and not virtual," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Grigoris Delavekouras, warning that the stalemate was undermining the EU's credibility.

He said that a summit would allow "clear and sincere dialogue" in order to recapture momentum and have Turkey reiterate its commitment to implement internal reforms and recognise Cyprus.

Delavekouras said Foreign Minister Dimitris Droutsas would discuss the proposal with Hungary, the next rotating presidency of the 27-member bloc, during a visit to Budapest planned for later this month.

The EU's annual report earlier this month notched up black marks for Turkey on rights, politics, and normalisation of ties with Cyprus.

Turkey was rapped too for "shortcomings" in religious and media freedoms, a lack of progress on women's and trade union rights, and for "only limited results" on the Kurdish issue, following a resurgence of attacks.

And on Cyprus, which joined the bloc in 2004, the report said that while Ankara "has continued to express public support" for UN-sponsored talks between Greek and Turkish Cypriots, "there has been no progress towards normalisation of bilateral relations" with Cyprus.

Since 2005, Turkey has only succeeded in closing one of 35 chapters that need to be negotiated, with 18 blocked either by the EU as a whole, by the Greek Cypriot-led government, or by France.