With this resolution, most European news media commented that this would have negative implications for both sides.

As a quarter of Turkey's membership negotiations were frozen, supporters and skeptics of Turkey each claimed victory, the British daily Independent reported.

El Pais, a Spanish daily, reported that the resolution was a punishment for Turkey's failure to open its ports to Greek Cyprus, and reiterated the point that damaging repercussions for both Europe and Ankara were expected.

According to El Pais, the EU resolution stood in contrast to a gesture of goodwill from the Turkish government, and could appear to be a negative message sent to the Islamic world at a delicate time.

sThe resolution also displayed differences of opinion among the 25 EU nations over the borders, and indeed the very idea of the European Union, reported El Pais.

It then added that a resolution of the problem called for a look at the next 10 years when Turkey was expected to be a large market for Europe.

Liberation, a French daily, reported that even Ankara's supporters agreed that Turkey had deserved punishment for failing to fulfill its obligations on a customs agreement with the European Union.

The Greek news media reported that Athens was pleased to hear the resolution, although they were calling for a harsher punishment.

Source:ZAMAN