The Turkish Foreign Ministry says that Turkey will begin broadcasting TV programmes in the Kurdish language later this year, thus removing a major obstacle to the commencement of membership talks with the European Union. An EU summit in December is due to decide whether to begin accession talks, following publication of an advisory report in October. A government spokesman said that Kurdish programmes would be aired on state-owned TRT as well as a couple of regional stations, including Gun TV, based in the southeast where the population is predominantly Kurdish. Turkish diplomats say that the media regulators, and not the politicians, are responsible for delays in issuing broadcasting permits.
