EU needs more time to agree Turkey migration plan: EU official

European Union leaders will not be able to agree on March 7 to an ambitious plan put forward by Turkey to stop migrants flooding into Europe but will welcome the proposals and keep working on them in coming days, an EU official said.

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davuto?lu surprised EU leaders at an emergency summit on the migration crisis by offering to take back all migrants and refugees who enter Europe from Turkey in future, in return for more money, faster visa-free travel for Turks and accelerated EU membership talks.

"Several countries really like the idea but cannot accept a deal tonight because of the very short preparation time. They will welcome the higher ambition but they can't nail down all the points today," the official said.

"There are some clarifications needed. We will work on it intensively in the coming days," he added.

The summit was continuing and EU leaders were due to meet Davuto?lu again for dinner later on March 7.

The Brussels summit was extended on March 7, as one EU official told Reuters that Turkey started "offering more and demanding more" in the first working session. 

The official said Davuto?lu was scheduled to set out further-reaching proposals over a working lunch with the 28 EU leaders and the summit continued into the evening to try to reach agreement on them. 

A Turkish official speaking to reporters in Brussels on condition of anonymity said on March 7 also said Turkey presented a new proposal to EU member states during the summit. 

The officials said the EU-Turkey summit was not only focused on migration but also on Turkey's EU accession process. 

"Turkey's existence here? [Turkey's] attendance at the summit is not directly linked to the migration issue," state...