Delays in Turkey's negotiations to join the European Union are becoming "insulting", President Abdullah Gul said on Wednesday, warning that support for EU membership among the Turkish people could be lost Today's Zaman reported.
President Gul, on a state visit to Britain, said the majority of Turks still wanted to join the EU despite the slow pace of entry negotiations.
But that could change "because the process is becoming insulting," he said, in response to a question after giving a speech at the British parliament.
If a majority of people said they had had enough of the talks, a democratically elected government could not go against their wishes, Gul said.
"Once the people's mood is changed, then it is not easy to get them back," he said.
A rising Muslim democracy, Turkey began accession talks with Brussels in 2005, but progress has been hobbled by tensions between Ankara and EU member Greek Cyprus as well as opposition within France and Germany.
The European Commission said in October that no progress was achieved in the last year, raising new doubts over whether Turkey will ever become a full EU member. Britain strongly supports Turkey joining the EU.