' European officials have warned Turkey that assaults on freedom of expression could derail the country's bid to become the first Islamic country to join the European Union.
He spoke after the European Commission warned that Turkey's bid to join the EU could be complicated by its delay in passing the penal code.
Americans in Turkey were warned to avoid visiting the embassy or U.S. consulates in Istanbul and Adana until further notice and were told to register on the State Department's website.
Some commentators have warned that a presidential system could weaken democracy in Turkey.
In mid-December the European Council, which comprises the heads of state and government of the EU's 27 member states, had disappointed Turkey by endorsing the conclusions of an earlier meeting of EU foreign ministers, which criticised the limited progress Turkey had made on political reform in 2007 and warned that long-awaited reforms in the areas of freedom of expression and religion should not be delayed any further.
And Hasan Gerceker, the head of Turkey's Supreme Court of Appeals, this week warned that the changes would politicize the judiciary.
On Monday, Turkish President Abdullah Gul warned that "worst case scenarios" were playing out in Syria as Turkey's army fired shells over the border for the sixth day running in response to shelling from the Syrian side.
Washington immediately warned Americans to stay away from all U.S. diplomatic facilities in Turkey and to be wary in large crowds.
In an effort to improve relations with Muslims, Benedict met with Turkey's top Muslim cleric, Dr. Ali Bardakoglu, who pointedly warned the pope that fear of Islam is on the rise.
On Monday UN envoy Lakhdar Brahimi warned on his return from a visit to Damascus and Syrian refugee camps in neighbouring Jordan and Turkey that the situation was "extremely bad and getting worse".
The U.S. and other Western powers are reluctant to intervene directly and Turkey has sought to avoid a full conflict with Damascus, but many analysts have repeatedly warned that Syria's war could increasingly impact neighboring territory.
应用推荐