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| Cyprus row halts EU-Turkey talks | |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Talks between the EU and Turkey over Cyprus have broken down without agreement, Finnish Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja has said. | Talks between the EU and Turkey over Cyprus have broken down without agreement, Finnish Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja has said. |
| EU officials have said that a failure to break the impasse could lead to the collapse of Turkey's EU membership bid. | EU officials have said that a failure to break the impasse could lead to the collapse of Turkey's EU membership bid. |
| The EU had given Turkey until 6 December to open its ports to traffic from Cyprus, whose government Turkey refuses to recognise. | The EU had given Turkey until 6 December to open its ports to traffic from Cyprus, whose government Turkey refuses to recognise. |
| "An agreement could not be reached," said Mr Tuomioja in Tampere, Finland. | "An agreement could not be reached," said Mr Tuomioja in Tampere, Finland. |
| Finland holds the rotating presidency of the EU until the end of the year. | |
| Mr Tuomioja was speaking after holding separate meetings with the Turkish and Cypriot foreign ministers - Abdullah Gul and George Lillikas. | |
| He said no new talks had been arranged and the EU would have to decide where this left Turkey's membership bid. | He said no new talks had been arranged and the EU would have to decide where this left Turkey's membership bid. |
| "There will be consequences," he said. "Business as usual cannot continue." | "There will be consequences," he said. "Business as usual cannot continue." |
| Turkey has refused to admit Cypriot traffic until the EU honours a pledge to ease its embargo on Turkish-controlled northern Cyprus. | Turkey has refused to admit Cypriot traffic until the EU honours a pledge to ease its embargo on Turkish-controlled northern Cyprus. |
| Cyprus - an EU member since 2004 - will not agree to direct trade with the self-styled Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), which is recognised only by Turkey. | |
| A question mark now hangs over the future of Turkey's EU accession talks and EU foreign ministers are expected to decide on the matter on 11 December. | |
| "Together with the [European] Commission, we will prepare the decision on how we will handle the continuation of the accession negotiations," Mr Tuomioja said. | |
| Progress has been slow since negotiations on Turkey's accession bid began in October 2005. |