BRUSSELS, Nov 19: Roman Catholic bishops from across the European Union questioned on Friday whether Turkey was ready to open EU membership talks and said Brussels should set further human rights conditions for starting negotiations.

The Bishops' Conferences of the European Community (COMECE) said there was no religious obstacle to the overwhelmingly Muslim nation joining the EU, but Turkey must respect basic rights such as equality for women and religious freedom.

"Therefore it must be asked whether it is appropriate to open negotiations with Turkey, whilst fundamental rights including religious freedom are not fully respected in that state," they said in a statement.

The prelates noted that the executive European Commission, in its report on Turkey's candidacy last month, had pointed to remaining shortcomings but not linked the opening of talks to better respect of those rights.

"The Bishops of COMECE propose that before negotiations... begin with Turkey, the Turkish government is required to correct shortcomings with regard to religious freedom and the legal status of minorities according to the provisions of the Treaty of Lausanne 1923," the statement said.

They urged EU leaders to include this provision in their decision at a summit on Dec 17 on whether and when to open accession talks with Turkey. The bishops said the question of starting accession talks with Turkey was political, not religious.

They rejected wording that would have questioned more fundamentally whether the EU could admit Turkey. An initial draft of the statement seen by Reuters said EU leaders should question "whether the European Union is capable in the medium term of absorbing such a large country with Turkey's history and geostrategic position".

The Lausanne Treaty recognizes Christian Greeks, Armenians and Jews as minorities with official status in the country. The treaty does not mention Kurds, Circassians, Arabs or non-Sunni Alevis as minorities. Human rights groups say the definition should be widened to include them, but the Turkish government opposes this. -Reuters