The European Union welcomed candidate country Turkey's...

The European Union welcomed candidate country Turkey's approval of constitutional reforms but urged Ankara to show more flexibility over Cyprus.
Turkey, which has yet to begin accession talks because of a poor human rights record, has adopted reforms that ease curbs on the Kurdish language, reduce police detention of suspects without charge and make banning political parties tougher.
The problem of Cyprus's division has become more acute as the internationally-recognised Greek-speaking half of the island moves towards completing its EU accession negotiations in 2002.
The EU says a settlement is not a precondition for Cyprus's accession, but it is concerned about the political and diplomatic implications of admitting a still-divided island. EU diplomats say there is still no sign of Turkey putting pressure on the Turkish Cypriots to return to the talks.
Turkey has also still to meet the wealthy bloc's political criteria for launching its accession talks, including abolition of the death penalty and upholding political, religious and media freedoms.