GenQ - For the not so straight individual

European Union foreign ministers agreed on Monday to partially freeze Turkey's membership talks since the country has failed to open its ports and airports to traffic from Cyprus, the EU's Finnish presidency said.

Ministers voted to suspend eight of the 35 chapters or policy areas into which the talks are divided, covering trade and transport, and review Turkey's compliance annually until 2009. Other sectors of the negotiations will go ahead but will not be concluded until Turkey complies with its obligations on Cyprus.

They also agreed on steps to end the economic isolation of northern Cyprus, but diplomats say that accord will be confirmed in January.