Berlin - Turkey is nowhere near ready to join the European Union and must make progress on human rights and democracy if it is to start accession talks before 2005, EU enlargement commissioner Mr Gunter Verheugen said yesterday.
"I would only recommend, if I do at all during my term ending in 2005, negotiating with Turkey if I am sure that we are dealing with a different Turkey," Mr Verheugen told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.
The newspaper also quoted the German commissioner as saying that Turkey was "not ripe" for entry talks to begin.
Continuing human rights violations had put in doubt plans for the EU to sign a partnership accord with Turkey this autumn, Mr Verheugen said.