BRUSSELS, Nov. 6 (UPI) -- The European Union has reportedly warned Turkey it must pressure Turks on the divided island of Cyprus into accepting unification.
The International Herald Tribune reported Thursday the EU praised Turkey for showing "great determination" in meeting the EU's membership criteria, but warned Ankara if it does not act on the Cyprus issue, it could face a "serious obstacle" to joining the bloc.
The newspaper said the "carrot-and-stick" message was part of a series of report cards issued by the European Commission Wednesday. The commission rated the progress of the 10 countries that are to join the EU in May and the two others -- Romania and Bulgaria -- that are hoping to join in 2007.
Turkey, the 13th candidate for membership, is the only country that has not started negotiations.
A U.N. effort to reunify the northern, Turkish part of the island with the internationally recognized southern part broke down in March.
The Herald Tribune says if no accord is reached before May, only the southern half of the island will be admitted into the EU. The other countries expected to join in May are the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia.
