BRUSSELS, Dec 17 (AFP) - European Union leaders struck a hard-fought deal Friday securing Turkish promises on the divided island of Cyprus in return for Ankara winning the historic prize of a start to EU entry talks.
A deal struck by the EU`s current chairman, Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende, with Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan was endorsed by all 25 leaders, including the president of Cyprus, sources said.
The leaders broke out in applause at the conclusion of a dramatic two-day summit that at one point had threatened to unravel.
"The central question which concerned us has been positively decided. There remain a few details to resolve," German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said.
"It is certain that we will open accession negotiations on October 3" next year, he told reporters.
Turkey late Thursday won the pledge it has been seeking in a four-decade drive to be embraced into the European fold when the EU leaders offered to launch accession talks next October.
Once they conclude, probably in a decade, it would become the bloc`s first majority-Muslim nation, taking the EU`s borders deep into the Middle East to Syria, Iran and Iraq.
But the offer came attached with a massive proviso -- that Turkey relent on decades of hostility to the Greek Cypriots` internationally recognised government, effectively abandoning the Turkish Cypriots` breakaway statelet.
The demand was met with a frosty reception from Turkish diplomats but as Friday wore on, Erdogan held a series of closed-door meetings with Balkenende and other key leaders to tease out a compromise.
Diplomats said Ankara offered a written commitment to sign a protocol to a 1963 association accord with the EU`s forerunner, expanding the agreement to cover the EU`s 10 newest member states -- including Cyprus.
That would mean a landmark breakthrough to one of Europe`s most intractable conflicts, with Turkey giving de facto recognition to the Republic of Cyprus.
Cyprus has been divided along ethnic lines since Turkish troops invaded its northern part in 1974 to stave off a bid to unite the island with Greece. The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is recognised by no one except Ankara.
The EU dropped a call for Erdogan to initial the protocol Friday, settling for a pledge that Turkey would sign before the start of accession talks.
"The European Council welcomed Turkey`s decision to sign the protocol regarding the adaptation of the Ankara Agreement, taking account of the accession of the 10 new member states," summit conclusions seen by AFP said.
"In this light, it welcomed the declaration of Turkey that `the Turkish government confirms that it is ready to sign the protocol on the adaptation of the Ankara Agreement prior to the actual state of accession negotiations and after reaching agreement on and finalising the adaptations which are necessary in view of the current membership of the European Union`."
British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw suggested earlier that signing the protocol was not the same as a binding legal acknowledgement of the Cypriot government under international law.
"It`s not about recognition with a capital R," he said, restating Britain`s desire to see NATO ally Turkey join the world`s richest club of nations.
The fast-moving EU summit hovered on the brink of collapse when Turkey dug in its heels over the demands attached to the talks offer, which Cyprus aside also contained a raft of conditions unprecedented for an EU candidate.
But according to their draft conclusions, the EU leaders were to say that Turkey`s accession "cannot be guaranteed beforehand", all the while promising to anchor the country in Europe "through the strongest possible bond".
Backers of Turkey`s EU hopes, also including Germany, have long argued that the country is a vital bridge between Europe and the Islamic world.
But critics, notably a sizeable portion of political and public opinion in EU heavyweights France and Germany, have maintained their doubts over the EU`s ability to absorb a huge, socially conservative and largely agrarian country with a population of more than 70 million.
In a sop to the detractors, the EU leaders were set to insist that Turkey would have to submit to restrictions, possibly permanent, on the free movement of Turkish workers and the amount of EU financial aid it can receive.
Moreover, the negotiations could be broken off in "case of a serious and persistent breach" of democratic principles.
12/17/2004 15:22 GMT - AFP