The United States welcomed a recommendation Wednesday for Turkish membership in the European Union and urged that accession talks begin as soon as possible. The European Commission said that talks should open quickly but that membership should come under strict conditions. Leaders of E.U. member countries are expected to set a date for negotiations with Turkey during their December 17 summit in Brussels. The United States has long pushed for Turkish membership in the European Union, but concerns over the weakness of the Turkish economy and other issues have slowed the process. "We welcome the E.U.'s positive recommendation on Turkey," State Department spokesman Adam Ereli said. "We have long supported Turkey's eventual membership in the European Union." The U.S. government "would certainly welcome a European Council decision in December to set an early date to begin accession talks," he said. --SP 2350 Local Time 2050 GMT
