Turkey Paris, Dec 15, SPA -- Now is the time to open European Unionmembership talks with Turkey even though the mostly Muslimcountry has not yet met all the conditions needed to join,the European Commission president said Wednesday. "I believe this is the moment," Jose Manuel Barroso toldthe France-2 television station. He said that Turkey had made great efforts to join andthat its membership in the European Union "would be verypositive for Europe." European leaders meet Thursday and Friday to decidewhether to open membership talks with Turkey. Barroso stressed that opening talks does not signifyautomatic membership, although that is the goal. "Turkey poses specific problems for us," he said. TheTurks "are not yet in a position to become members." Turkey, with some 70 million people, "is a very bigcountry, a country which still has a considerable gap indevelopment," he said. But, he added, "in 10 years, Turkey won't be the sameTurkey as today ... and certain fears that exist today canbe put aside." Barroso dismissed the idea of giving Turkey a "privilegedpartnership" with the EU rather than membership, sayingthat such an arrangement is "not just" and risked beingseen by Turks as discriminatory.--SPA1339 Local Time 1039 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/225112