BRUSSELS, Dec 15 (AFP) - The EU is poised to give a green light this week to start entry talks with Turkey, although haggling over the exact offer could go down to the wire amid tough talk from Ankara, officials said Wednesday.
The European Union is in particular keeping pressure on Ankara to recognize the Mediterranean island of Cyprus ahead of a summit starting Thursday, at which Turkey hopes for a go-ahead to start membership talks next year.
But this seemed unlikely to change the basic decision, likely to be made over dinner Thursday evening and put in writing on Friday.
"There seems to be a `yes` coming," said Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende, who will host the two-day EU gathering as current holder of the bloc`s rotating leadership.
European Commission head Jose Manuel Barroso also said that "it is time" to say yes to Ankara, while the European Parliament called for talks to start "without undue delay."
In Ankara, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, no stranger to hard bargaining, stood firm on the eve of the Brussels summit.
"We do not expect any unacceptable conditions to be put before us, but if such conditions are imposed ... we will definitely put the matter in the refrigerator and continue on our way," he said before heading for Brussels.
Ankara notably wants the EU talks to start in the first half of 2005, as opposed to later next year as sought by some EU states. It has also dismissed an offer of a "privileged partnership" as an alternative to full EU entry.
Turkey has also repeatedly rejected calls to give formal recognition to the government in Cyprus.
But in Brussels the EU sought in particular to maintain pressure on Ankara to recognize Cyprus -- by signing a formal EU diplomatic agreement which amounts to a de facto recognition.
"Otherwise we will have a problem with Cyprus, that`s absolutely clear," said an EU presidency source.
Cyprus has been divided along ethnic lines since 1974, when Turkish troops occupied the northern third of the island. Only the Greek-Cypriot part joined the EU in May, after Greek Cypriots rejected a UN blueprint to reunify Cyprus.
Turkey, which geographically spans the Bosphorus divide between Europe and Asia, first signed an association agreement with the then European Economic Community in 1963.
Its big breakthrough came two years ago, when the EU agreed -- at the same time as agreeing to let in 10 states in the bloc`s biggest-ever expansion -- to decide in December 2004 on whether to start talks with Turkey.
Now that moment has come, and the arguments are, if anything, stormier than ever.
The most pro-Turkey EU states -- including Britain, Germany, Italy and Spain -- argue that admitting Turkey is a strategic priority as a bridge to the Muslim world.
"We want to see an economically successful, democratic Turkey anchored in Europe," said British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw. "That would deal a heavy blow to those who stoke up mistrust and division and it could be an inspiration to many others in the Muslim world."
But there is a hard core of sceptics including Austria, Cyprus and Denmark. They argue that Turkey is simply too big, too different and too poor to join. The alternative proposed is a special partnership rather than membership.
With an eye to winning over sceptical publics, the EU leaders are expected to impose a series of stringent conditions on Turkey and warn that the accession talks will last a decade at least, with no guarantee of success.
But Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul reiterated Ankara`s hard-nosed negotiating stance. "We will not say `yes` at any price. We have told the EU that," Gul told the Milliyet daily.
One EU diplomat played down the sense of brinkmanship. "There are some comments that are made for domestic use," he said.
Another added: "I`m hopeful we will get a good package and a good outcome. It`s within grasp but it`s not in the bag."

12/15/2004 17:16 GMT - AFP