BRUSSELS, Sept. 14 (Xinhuanet) -- European Union (EU) nations on Wednesday failed to iron out a negotiating mandate for Turkish EU entry talks set to begin on October 3.

    Ambassadors from the 25-nation bloc could not agree on how to respond to Turkey's refusal to recognize Cyprus, a key issue ahead of the planned launch of membership talks with Ankara.

    "The ambassadors have made good progress in discussions today, but there was not an agreement," said a spokesman after the ambassadors' meeting.

    However, he said there was no reason to doubt whether the Turkish membership talks would start on 3 October as planned.

    The ambassadors will discuss the issue again on September 21, and if they still fail to agree, it is likely the EU will convene an extraordinary meeting of foreign ministers on September 26 to work out a compromise. Enditem