Wilfried Martens, who leads the European People's Party, the biggest group in the European Parliament, said Turkey will most probably fail in her bid to become a fully-fledged EU member if a Cyprus solution proves elusive.
"In such a case, the most it can hope for is a privileged association," Martens said in an interview with state-run Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation at the end of a visit to Cyprus.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is insisting on a full-fledged accession for Turkey and has repeatedly rejected a privileged association, advocated by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
The UN office in Cyprus said in a statement on Wednesday that talks between Cyprus President and Greek Cypriot leader Demetris Christofias, and new Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu will restart on May 26.
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