Erdogan to visit Brussels amid stalemate in Turkey's EU bid

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will have talks with top European Union officials during a visit to Brussels early next month, which comes as Turkey's accession process faces a deadlock over the Cyprus dispute and some member states' reluctance to let in a Muslim country. Erdogan will speak with EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and Herman Van Rompuy, the president of the EU Council. His visit on March 1, at Barroso's invitation, is the first since June 2009. Erdogan will travel to Brussels from Germany, where he and German Chancellor Angela Merkel will open an international computer and electronics fair. While in Brussels, he is also expected to have talks with Belgium's prime minister.