COPENHAGEN, Nov 15: Turkey’s Prime Minister boycotted a planned news conference with his Danish counterpart on Tuesday in apparent protest over the presence of a journalist he linked to Kurdish separatist guerillas. Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen said excluding the correspondent would have violated principles of freedom of expression in the European Union, which Turkey aspires to join.

“I told (Prime Minister Tayyip) Erdogan that freedom of expression is fundamental when talking accession negotiations and to come nearer to membership,” Mr Rasmussen said.

Turkey formally began entry talks last month. It has overhauled much legislation to meet EU demands on human rights but faces continued accusations of torture and persecution, especially in the south-east where a Kurdish separatist rebellion has killed some 30,000 people.

Mr Erdogan and Mr Rasmussen were supposed to give a joint news conference after their meeting in the Danish capital, but Mr Erdogan stayed away in protest at the presence of a journalist from the Danish-based Kurdish channel, Roj TV.

“According to Prime Minister Erdogan, Roj TV is controlled by the PKK, an organization which is listed on the European Union terror list. And according to Erdogan, Roj TV incites to terrorism,” Mr Rasmussen said.—Reuters