ANKARA, Dec. 13 (Xinhuanet) -- The European Union (EU) must admit Turkey in order to show that it is not opposed to Islam and it is not a Christian Club, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday.

    There was the possibility that there could be an increase in violence from radical Islamists if the EU does not accept Turkey into the block, Erdogan was quoted as saying by Turkish private NTV.

    "There is nothing we can do if the EU feels that it can live with being simply a Christian club," he said while opening a museum in Istanbul, Turkey's largest city.

    Erdogan added, "However, if these countries burn their bridges with the rest of the world, history will not forgive them." The EU leaders are widely expected at this week's summit to back the launch of accession talks with Turkey, probably some time in 2005.

    But Turkey, a relatively poor Muslim country of more than 70 million people, is unlikely to join the wealthy bloc before 2015 at the earliest time. Enditem