LONDON, Dec 14 (AFP) - British Prime Minister Tony Blair was to meet his Italian and German counterparts later Tuesday amid reports that he is seeking to smooth the way for the European Union to open accession talks with Turkey.
Blair was to meet with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, then host a dinner for German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, ahead of the European Union summit that opens Thursday in Brussels.
"The prime minister has regular meetings with both of them and particularly in advance of European Councils," a spokesman for Blair said in London, using the official term for quarterly EU summits.
He confirmed that Turkey -- "a key issue at this week's council" -- would be discussed, along with "a range of other matters".
Britain is strongly in favour of Turkey -- officially a candidate for EU membership for the past five years -- to get a green light to begin accession talks with the European Commission.
But its enthusiasm for bringing a poorer, and predominantly Muslim, nation into the European family is not shared by several other EU member states, including France and Germany.
The Guardian newspaper, reporting from Brussels, said Blair would propose to Schroeder three "Turkish delights" that would address both French and Germany concerns.
They include agreeing to a French proposal to delay the start of accession talks until the second half of 2005, after a planned French referendum on the EU constitution; inserting an unprecedented "get out" clause in the negotiations under which a candidate country could be refused entry into the EU club; and rewriting EU rules to ensure that Turkey -- with its expanding population -- will not wind up dominating EU institutions.
"Britain ... will portray its proposals as an attempt to ease Ankara's membership, and not as another bar," The Guardian said.
Reacting to the report, Blair's spokesman said it was "nonsense," as he reiterated the British position on Turkey's bid to join what is now a 25-nation bloc.
"We are in favour of negotiations beginning in 2005," he said. The time is less important than the big picture, and the big picture is that negotiations should begin in 2005."
He recalled that recommendations from the European Commission in October concluded that Turkey has made enough headway on democratic and economic reforms for talks to begin.
"We believe that that should be followed through," he said. "That is the argument that we have put, and will continue to put very strongly at this Council."
He added: "What's important is that there should be a firm commitment to negotiations beginning. The rest is, frankly, detail."
12/14/2004 12:59 GMT - AFP