[**claire**]

ANKARA- Turkish Daily News





As the clock continues to tick towards the opening of Turkey's accession negotiations with the European Union, ambassadors and foreign ministers of the 25 member countries will separately be engaged in key discussions this week on a roadmap document for the candidate country's entry talks.

EU ambassadors, or permanent representatives, will gather in Brussels on Wednesday for the COROPER meeting, a day before the bloc's foreign ministers are to have an informal meeting in Wales for two days. Turkey's negotiating framework document and a July declaration -- which Ankara issued to ensure its sealing of an EU protocol expanding a customs union deal to 10 new member states would not be tantamount to recognition of Greek Cyprus -- are expected to be on the agenda for both meetings.

Foreign Minister Abdullah Gül is scheduled to have lunch with his European counterparts at the end of the Wales gatherings and will underline, once again, that Turkey expects the talks to start on Oct. 3 as scheduled with the eventual prospect of full membership and without any new conditions. Repeated French statements attacking Ankara's Cyprus declaration signaled that Paris, along with Greek Cyprus and Greece, could insist on Turkey's recognition of Greek Cyprus as a condition for the opening of talks. Other Turkey opponents are likely to bring up demands for changes in the roadmap document for Turkey, such as offering an alternative special status instead of full-membership