The European Union and Turkey have failed to to end a dispute over Cyprus that could derail Ankara's bid for EU membership, the Finnish foreign minister has said.
Erkki Tuomioja, whose country holds the EU's rotating presidency, said on Monday that no date had been set for renewing talks.
The EU says Turkey, which began entry talks last year, must meet a treaty obligation to open its ports to ships from Cyprus this year.
Turkey says it will only do so if the EU ends the economic isolation of Northern Cyprus, the breakaway Turkish Cypriot state recognised only by Ankara.
No membership decision
Tuomioja said after meetings with the foreign ministers of Turkey and Cyprus: "Unfortunately ... at this stage circumstances do not permit that an agreement could be reached during the Finnish Presidency."
He also said that the EU would decide on how the failure to find a solution to the dispute would affect Turkey's EU membership bid.
The EU's general affairs council is set to meet to discuss the issue on December 11.
Speaking after the breakdown of the talks Ollie Rehn, the EU enlargement commissioner, said: "Negotiations will not be stopped or frozen, they will continue more slowly."
'Constructive attitude'
Turkey said the failure to break the deadlock in its row with Cyprus over trade should not harm its bid to join the bloc.
Murat Ozcelik, a spokesman for the Turkish foreign ministry, said: "The failure of the Finnish proposals, despite our constructive attitude, should not affect our negotiations negatively."
EU observers have said the EU could sanction Turkey by freezing some of the 35 accession chapters which all EU candidate nations must satisfactorily complete before being allowed into the club.
Cyprus has opposed this idea, saying it would have no effect as other chapters, on sectors unrelated to customs or trade, could be opened instead.