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Turkey’s prime minister called the action “unacceptable.”

The recommendation by the EU’s executive body comes at a sensitive moment for Turkey, with attention focused on the country as it hosts a visit by Pope Benedict XVI. On Tuesday, the pontiff expressed support for Turkey’s efforts to join the EU, moving away from previous opposition.

All 25 EU leaders are to rule on the commission’s advice at their Dec. 14-15 summit, but EU nations already showed they are deeply divided over how to handle Turkey’s entry bid.

Prime Minister Tony Blair called it a “serious mistake” to send Turkey a negative message on membership now, and Spain’s Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero urged leaders to “work intensively” to keep the doors open to Ankara.

Denmark’s Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen, meanwhile, said the EU had to “send a very clear signal” to Turkey that it must live up to its promises on Cyprus and on speeding up what he called the slow pace of reforms on the island, which remains divided between the Turkish Cypriot-held north and the internationally recognized Greek Cypriot south.

“It is Turkey that must adapt to the EU,” he said. “It’s not the other way around.”

French President Jacques Chirac said France “was in line with Germany and other partners” that the EU “has no other choice” given Turkey’s refusal to adopt a customs pact with the EU, which would open Turkish ports to Cyprus.

A decision to slow the entry talks would likely cause a rift in relations with Turkey over its decades-old bid to join the bloc and potentially damage the EU’s image on the world stage. Negotiations started in October 2005.

“We confirm that these negotiations continue, although at a slower pace,” said EU commissioner Olli Rehn. “Failure to meet legal obligations cannot remain without consequences.”

Rehn added, however, that Turkey still had time to resolve the standoff over Cyprus before a Dec. 11 foreign ministers meeting and avert a firm EU decision to partially freeze the negotiations.

“Such a decision is unacceptable,” private NTV television quoted Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan as saying during a NATO summit in Latvia.

“We will not allow anyone to trample on our rights,” Egemen Bagis, an aide to Erdogan, told NTV. He said Turkish leaders would still try to avert a partial suspension.

The European Commission’s recommendation, drafted by Rehn, called on EU governments not to open negotiations on issues that touch upon Turkey’s relations with Cyprus. These include such issues as the free movement of goods, financial services, agriculture, fisheries, transport policy, customs union policy and external relations issues.

Rehn also recommended that no chapter of the package could be finalized until Turkey moves to open its ports to Cyprus.

The recommendation also called on a rapid movement by the United Nations to relaunch separate negotiations to reunify Cyprus.

Cyprus, Greece and France have taken a hard line against Turkey in recent months over the standoff, demanding that talks be suspended. Britain, Sweden and Spain are urging that the EU ensure talks are not frozen, fearing a rupture in ties with predominantly Muslim Turkey.
The European Commission warned Turkey in October that failure to extend a customs pact to EU member Cyprus by December could threaten the continuation of membership talks.

Ankara on Monday rejected a compromise EU proposal to settle the standoff over Cyprus.

Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency, is to visit Turkey on Friday in a last-ditch attempt to sway Turkey.