TAMPERE, Nov 27: EU accession talks with Turkey will not be frozen, but will move more slowly after Ankara's failure to open its ports to ships from Cyprus, the European Union's enlargement commissioner said on Monday.

EU president Finland failed to achieve a breakthrough on Monday in its final push to resolve the row between Turkey and Cyprus threatening to derail Ankara's membership bid.“Unfortunately, we have come to the conclusion that at this stage circumstances do not permit that an agreement could be reached during the Finnish Presidency,” Finnish Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja said.

Speaking after the talks on the sidelines of a EU-Mediterranean foreign ministers' meeting in the town of Tampere, Tuomioja said the two were too far apart for a realistic prospect of success during Finland's term as EU president, which ends on Dec 31.

EU officials have said failure to reach a deal before a Dec 6 deadline could mean partial suspension of Turkey's membership talks launched last year.

—Reuters