Merkel Will Not Seek Deadline for Turkey to Open Ports to Cyprus

Angela Merkel backed away from a confrontation over Turkey's EU membership talks by declaring she was not setting an ultimatum for Ankara to open its ports to Greek Cypriot shipping.

The German chancellor said the European commission should report back on Ankara's progress between elections in Turkey next autumn and those for the European parliament in spring 2009. "We don't want to set any kind of ultimatum to Turkey ... but we want the commission to report on how we can go forward," she said after a summit with France's president, Jacques Chirac, and the Polish president, Lech Kaczynski, in Mettlach, near Saarbrücken in western Germany.

Her remarks will reassure Britain and the European commission, which were alarmed this week when Berlin let it be known that Mrs Merkel would use yesterday's summit to demand Turkey open its ports within 18 months. Such a hardline stance would have guaranteed a huge row at next week's EU summit, when European leaders will consider the commission's call for a partial suspension of Turkey's membership talks.

Olli Rehn, the European enlargement commissioner, wants to avoid setting a deadline. But Mrs Merkel said Turkey must live up to its commitment to extend its customs union to all EU countries. "What we wanted to happen has not happened and there have to be certain consequences."

Mr Chirac said he had the "same position" as Germany, and that there had to be "consequences" if Turkey refused to open its ports, a condition of EU membership. Mr Kaczynski, however, said that he continued to support Turkey's EU application.

Mrs Merkel's softer tone increases the chances of an agreement on how to deal with Turkey, which Berlin wants to achieve before it assumes the EU's rotating presidency on January 1.