Erdogan tried to allay rumours of tensions with the military

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said his country can become a member of the European Union by 2012 if it undertakes democratic reforms.

He was speaking hours after the deputy chief of Turkey's general staff, General Yasar Buyukanit, reiterated the military's support for the EU bid.

General Buyukanit said that geopolitically and geostrategically, membership of the EU was a "must" for Turkey.

Mr Erdogan's government is preparing to introduce legislation strengthening freedom of speech and boosting Kurdish language rights.

The European Union has agreed to examine Turkey's application in December 2004, opening the way for possible negotiations the following year.

But the organisation has warned Turkey that any reform legislation must be adequately implemented.

European parliamentarians have recently criticised the continued detention of Kurdish members of parliament jailed since the mid-1990s on charges of subversion.

'Realistic time-frame'

Mr Erdogan said that Turkey had a lot of work to do in the next year and a half.

The military see themselves as guardians of the secular republic

"We have until December 2004 to take all steps to bring our laws into line with EU laws and to ensure proper implementation of reforms," he said.

"Provided we work together hand in hand, I believe the 2011-2012 date given... is a realistic time-frame."

He sought to allay rumours of tension with the army, describing the military as "the midwife of Turkey's process of modernisation".

The BBC's Jonny Dymond in Istanbul says that over the last few days, there has been much speculation in Turkey's media over the military's unhappiness with the current government.

Rights and privileges

General Buyukanit described the reports as an "unjustified attack".

However, the armed forces perceive themselves to be the guardians of Turkey's secular republic, our correspondent says, while the governing party has its roots in banned Islamist parties.

It is still not clear whether the leadership of the military will support the reforms necessary to make Turkey's EU candidacy a reality.

But the EU issue is not about the state and religion, but rather about the kind of human rights reforms that need to be passed if Turkey is to be eligible for membership.

And, in the longer term, about the military giving up some of its rights and privileges.