ANKARA, Turkey (AP) -- Turkey's Parliament abruptly went into recess without adopting a new penal code, considered of vital importance for the launching of accession talks with the EU. Lawmakers from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) failed to appear at an extraordinary session on Saturday (18 September). Parliament then went automatically into recess until its regular opening date of 1 October. Local press reports are citing ongoing disagreements within the AKP over a controversial provision -- withdrawn by the AKP after talks with the opposition -- that would criminalise adultery.

The penal code legislation was to have been adopted by 6 October, in time for the European Commission progress report on Turkey. On Saturday, EU Commissioner for Enlargement Guenter Verheugen summoned Turkey's envoy to the EU to seek an explanation for the delay. He ruled out the possibility of postponing the October report and warned that failure to adopt the new penal code could affect the decision on the start of accession talks.