Turkey signs custom protocol

After months of debate, Turkey took one of its final steps towards guaranteeing that EU accession talks would go ahead as scheduled for October 3, by signing a customs union protocol with 10 member states. However, Ankara said that this did not mean full recognition of Cyprus. Britain, who presently hold the rotating EU presidency, is pushing for Turkey's membership into the bloc.The deal – signed by the British diplomat John Grant and his Turkish opposite - is perceived as a key step toward opening accession talks with the 25-nation bloc.  Full membership is by no means certain with France, Germany, Austria, Belgium and the Netherlands sceptical about the Islamic nation’s entry. Discussions are expected to last over a decade in any event.The EU commission recommends Turkey gain EU membership but not before 2014. Â