BRUSSELS (AFP) -- Croatia resumed EU membership talks after Slovenia ended a 10-month embargo on negotiations, leaving Turkey trailing at the gates amid defiance on opening its borders to Cyprus.

With a border dispute dating back to the 1990s Balkan wars no longer blocking Zagreb, the EU and Croatia opened six new chapters -- or policy negotiating areas -- of the 35 that all candidates must complete to join.
“Very substantial progress has been made,” said Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, whose country holds the EU's rotating presidency, said after a meeting in Brussels. “It's a critical day.
“It's a signal for the entire (Balkans) region and a signal of the process of European integration continuing to move forward,” he added.
The chapters were: free movement of capital; agriculture and rural development; justice, freedom and security; food safety, veterinary and phytosanitary policy; taxation; and regional policy and coordination of structural instruments.
EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said the “significant breakthrough... shows that work has been done, and progress has been made in Croatia.”
Rehn has expressed hope that Croatia might be able to complete the negotiating process by the middle of next year.
Croatian foreign minister Gordan Jandrokovic underlined that Zagreb remained “committed to full cooperation” with the UN's Balkan war-crimes court, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.
Rehn said “concrete progress” was expected regarding ongoing investigations and ICTY access to documents held by Croatia.
Slovenia's foreign minister Samuel Zbogar was to meet separately with Jandrokovic on the 18-year-old row over a small piece of land and sea disputed since the two proclaimed independence from the former Yugoslavia.
Slovenia joined the EU in 2004 while Croatia hopes to become the EU's 28th member by 2011 -- but Turkey's chances appear to be receding further after its foreign minister refused to meet a deadline on the Cyprus question.
In a hardening of Ankara's rhetoric towards Brussels, Ahmet Davutoglu said Turkey would refuse to open its ports and airports to Cypriot ships and planes until negotiations on the status of the divided island are concluded.
He also said Brussels should respect its accession “engagements” and allow Turkey to join the bloc as soon as possible.
Under a customs agreement with Brussels, Ankara must extend a trade protocol to the 10 nations that joined the bloc in 2004, including Cyprus, by the end of this year.
But Turkey does not recognize its Greek-Cypriot government and refuses to open its ports to Cyprus unless the EU makes good on a promise to break the economic isolation of the Turkish Cypriot north.
“Recognition of the Greek Cypriots without solving the Cyprus question is not possible for us,” Davutoglu said.
Asked when he would like to see his country admitted to the EU club, Davutoglu replied: “My personal opinion is that even 2015 (to join the EU) would be too late, not just for us but for the European Union.
“We will always remind European leaders that a fundamental EU value is the respect of commitments made,” he added.
Turkey's EU membership talks began four years ago, but while 11 chapters have been formally opened, eight others have been frozen since 2006 over the customs dispute. France is blocking another five chapters.