Germany and Turkey Face Off Over Protests; EU Membership On the Line

When you're too rough for the Germans ...

Germany and Turkey summoned each other's ambassadors on Friday for tit-for-tat reproaches in an escalating row over Chancellor Angela Merkel's criticism of a crackdown on protesters in Turkey and her reluctance to see the country join the European Union.

After Merkel said she was "appalled" by Ankara's response to the protests, a Turkish cabinet minister accused her on Thursday of blocking Turkey's accession to the EU because she was "looking for domestic political material for her elections".

Berlin responded on Friday by summoning the Turkish envoy to the German foreign ministry—and Turkey retaliated.

Barring a last-minute change of heart by Germany, the EU looks set early next week to postpone or cancel plans to open a new "chapter" in Turkey's membership talks next Wednesday.