President Gul slams EU states opposed to Turkey's accession bid

"There has been a unanimous decision (by the Europeans) to start negotiations with Turkey" on its accession to the European Union, Gul was quoted by AFP as telling reporters on the sidelines of an official trip to neighboring Syria.Â

"Any discussion on this is tantamount to violating the decisions taken by the EU and would mean that the decision to start negotiations with Turkey were not sincere, that the heads of state took a decision that did not reflect their intentions," he added.

"It would be unacceptable," Gul said, referring to France and Germany.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy last month reiterated their opposition to Ankara joining the 27-nation bloc, a move analysts described as an indicator of short-time calculations to achieve political advantage ahead of the European Parliament elections set for next month.

Gul had earlier expressed Turkey’s determination to proceed on the path toward the European Union despite firm opposition from the EU leaders whom he accused of lacking vision.

Turkish leaders, including Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, have also criticized Merkel and Sarkozy, calling on the EU member states not to make Ankara’s application to join the 27-member bloc a "domestic issue".

Turkey began EU membership negotiations in 2005, but progress has since largely ground to a halt because of disagreements over the divided island of Cyprus and strong opposition in some member countries like France, Germany and Austria.

Gul also said Sunday that Turkey had played a role in Europe ever since World War II. "Turkey is a country that has made big sacrifices to protect a free Europe" during the Cold War, AFP quoted him as saying.

He also said Turkey joined NATO in 1952 and became a member of the European Council in 1948.

Gul, who attended Turkey-Syria Business Forum and held meetings with Syrian leaders, including President Bashar al-Assad, returned to Turkey later on Sunday.