It seems as though the negotiations with Turkey on its application to join the EU may not suffer the feared "train crash" after all, following Turkey's offer to open one port and one airport to traffic from Cyprus.

Under the Ankara protocol defining the conditions for Turkey's accession, Turkey must have open trade arrangements with the EU's new members, which it had refused to do as regards Cyprus, as part of its position regarding the still unresolved division of that country. Its change of position could mark a turning point.

All this will provide food for thought when EU foreign ministers discuss the matter on Monday - especially when we consider that just a week ago, the Commission recommended freezing eight of the thirty-five chapters in the accession negotiations.

There are a multitude of reasons why Turkey can play an immensely positive role in tackling many strategic challenges that Europe faces: insecure energy supplies; seemingly intractable problems in the middle east; rising extremism trying to drive Muslims and non-Muslims apart; increasing global competition from Asia; the desire for Europe to play a more active role beyond its borders; and both at those borders and within them, the need to tackle drugs, organised crime and illegal migration.

If the summit of EU heads of state on 14-15 December fails to get Turkey's accession talks back on track, there will be a danger that, at some point in 2007, Turkey will turn its back on the prospect of EU membership. To misquote Groucho Marx, they will not want to belong to a club where too few people want to have them as members.