Brussels  - European Union foreign ministers Monday dashed Turkey's hopes of joining their club any time soon, saying Ankara had not yet approved the reforms needed to become a member.

While recalling Turkey's "strategic importance" and its success in averting a potential political crisis stemming from calls for the ruling Justice and Development Party to be banned, EU ministers expressed "regret" at Ankara's slow pace of political reform.

"The council (of ministers) recalls that the rhythm of negotiations (with the EU) continues to depend on the progress achieved by Turkey in fulfilling the required conditions," foreign ministers said in a statement.

Ankara- Turkey's justice minister on Monday said he was against moves to allow prison inmates conjugal visits, the Anadolu news agency reported.

"We treat with respect all requests but at the moment the Justice Ministry has no plans or thoughts to change the way it is at the moment," Mehmet Ali Sahin told reporters.

Sahin's statements came after the head of a parliamentary human rights commission said he had received many letters from prisoners seeking the right to have sex with their partners.

The suggested changes have received support from a number of members of parliament.

Baghdad  - The Kurdish Workers Party (PKK) in Iraq announced a nine-day ceasefire with Turkey in honour of the Muslim Eid al-Adha festival, it was reported Monday.

"We want thereby to open the door to dialogue with Turkey," the news agency Aswat al-Iraq quoted PKK spokesman Ahmet Deniz as saying.

Deniz added that in the coming days PKK fighters would only resort to arms when attacked by Turkish troops.

Ankara  - Two Kurdish separatists were killed Saturday in a clash with Turkish soldiers in south-east Turkey, the General Staff announced on Sunday.

The Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) militants were killed in fighting in a mountainous region of Sirnak, near the Turkish border with Iraq, according to a short statement posted on the official website of the armed forces.

Along with the militants' weapons and ammunition, more than two tonnes of supplies were seized after the clash.

Athens- A four-year-old child died in an attempt by a group of r

ANKARA, Turkey, Dec. 5  -- The jailed leader of the terror organization PKK is suing Greece for failing to prevent his capture by Turkish officials in 1999, officials said.

Abdullah Ocalan is seeking $25,500 from the Greek government, alleging that Athens betrayed him after offering assurances of his safety, Hurriyet reported Friday.

Ocalan, who led the Kurdistan Workers' Party, commonly known as PKK, is serving a life sentence in a Turkish prison, the newspaper reported.