The European Union has given a cautious welcome to Turkey's programme of political, social and economic reforms in its bid to gain full EU membership.

The EU Commissioner in charge of enlargement, Guenter Verheugen, described the plan -- formally presented by the Turkish foreign minister Ismail Cem -- as an important landmark in Turkey's EU membership drive, but said that Ankara needed to do more on key issues such as the abolition of the death penalty and ensuring cultural rights for all citizens irrespective of their origin.

The Turkish government approved the programme last week -- two years after it was accepted as an official candidate.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service