ANKARA (AFP) - Turkish Foreign Minister Yasar Yakis said yesterday that a possible EU decision next week at the Copenhagen summit to only set a future date to evaluate Turkey’s bid to start accession talks would be unacceptable.

“A date for a date is something that it is not possible for the Turkish side to accept. It is not a step forward when compared to the present situation,” Yakis told reporters, the Anatolia news agency said.

He said such a formula would amount to the postponement of an EU decision regarding the opening of membership talks with Turkey, the only nation among 13 candidates that has so far failed to start negotiations.

It would amount to the EU telling Turkey, “Come at the end of 2003 to see whether we can give you a date or not,” Yakis said.

In another development, Turkey’s election board yesterday set by-elections for February 9 in an eastern Turkish province, where Turkey’s banned but most popular politician might run for Parliament.

The Justice and Development Party (AK) has signaled that Recep Tayyip Erdogan could run for Parliament in Siirt  — a step toward becoming premier — and AK lawmakers have been working on draft legislation to change the constitution to allow its leader Erdogan to run.