ANKARA, Oct 5 (AFP) - Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan left Turkey on Tuesday for talks with Council of Europe officials in Strasbourg a day before the release of a key report on his country`s drive to join the European Union.
Erdogan`s itinerary includes talks on Wednesday with Council parliamentary assembly president Peter Schieder, Council secretary-general Terry Davis, European Court of Human Rights President Luzius Wildhaber and other officials.
The talks will coincide with the release of the European Commission`s progress report on Turkey, assessing the country`s success in hauling itself up to EU norms in a bid to begin membership talks with the 25-member bloc.
"Our basic expectation from the European Union is to evaluate all our efforts and steps up to date as a whole in line with objective criteria," Erdogan told reporters before his departure.
"We believe we have successfully passed the test of sincerity and have successfully completed our task," he added.
The commission report, already seen by AFP, says that Turkey has made significant reforms to prepare to one day join the EU, but that it still falls short in many key areas.
EU leaders will use the report as a guide in deciding at their December 17 summit on whether to open accession talks with Turkey, which has been an official candidate since 1999.
Turkey claims it has earned the right for a firm date and says it would like to begin negotiations in 2005.
"This is an issue of timing. Let us be patient, let the report be released," Erdogan said.
"What all political leaders have told me in our talks up to date is that if the progress report is positive, then their approach will also be positive," he added.
Turkey`s push for EU accession has led to a raging debate in Europe on whether a vast and relatively poor country with a strong Muslim faith would actually fit in the bloc.