Days before summit, Turkey, EU face big hurdles to migration deal

Prospects for a grand bargain between the European Union and Turkey to stem a flow of migrants into the continent are uncertain days before a summit on Nov. 29 meant to seal a deal and put fraying relations back on a firm footing, EU and Turkish officials said. 

How much money Turkey will receive for settling more Syrian migrants, the pace at which Turkey's long-stalled EU membership bid can be accelerated and whether Brussels can deliver on its promise of easier travel for Turks are all unresolved. 

"We are not there yet," said a senior European Union official. Turkish officials also said they had not finalized an agreement, raising questions about whether Ankara was holding out for a better deal at the summit.

Officials want it to be essentially a signing ceremony, attended by the EU's 28 leaders. 

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an will not be attending, despite his desire for more high-level contact with EU leaders. He will leave the three-hour meeting in Brussels to Prime Minister Ahmet Davuto?lu. 

Complicating the picture has been Turkey's confrontation with Moscow over its shooting-down of a Russian warplane in its air space, just as Europe is seeking Russian help in defeating the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) militants after the Paris attacks on Nov. 13. 

At stake is whether the European Commission, the EU executive, can deliver on its gamble to deepen ties with Turkey to ease the migrant crisis, despite deep concerns about what Brussels sees as Erdo?an's authoritarianism and a surge in violence in the mainly Kurdish populated southeast of Turkey. 

European Commissioner Johannes Hahn, who handles EU enlargement policy, told Reuters last week the summit would mark a "fresh start"...