TURKEY - Sep 21 - Opposition Seeks Debate On Reform.

The main opposition party Republican People's Party, insists the government to resolve a disagreement with the EU over Ankara's penal reform bill, moving to convene Parliament in an extraordinary session to enact reforms that Brussels says are a precondition for EU membership talks. The opposition leader Deniz Baykal, said his center-left would seek a special parliamentary session on Sep 21 to adopt the bill, which the government abandoned last week amid an argument with the EU on whether adultery should be re-instated as a criminal offense. The disagreement has cast a pall on Turkey's prospects of obtaining a date from the EU for accession talks. Baykal said: "We want to open a window of opportunity for Turkey. Turkey should not destroy its advantages with its own hands". Jean-Christophe Filori, a spokesman for the EU's enlargement commissioner, Gunter Verheugen, bluntly warned Ankara on Sep 21 it cannot open accession talks without the adoption of the new penal code. The Republican People's Party, which holds less than a third of the 550 seats in the parliament, has enough votes to force the speaker to recall legislators for an extraordinary session, but it would need the support of members of the governing Justice and Development Party for a meeting. The governing party indicated Sep 21 it might allow Parliament to reconvene early to pass the laws in an effort to keep its bid for EU entry on track. The new laws will bolster women's rights and freedom of expression and increase penalties for rape and torture. Parliament tentatively approved all but two articles of the penal code in a special session this month, before the package was shelved. The assembly is not scheduled to meet until Oct. 1. The commission will publish a progress report on Turkey on Oct 6, which will shape a decision in December by EU leaders. Baykal appealed to PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan to resolve the stalemate.