Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, second left, waves as he leaves an EU summit in Brussels on Monday, March 7, 2016. Turkey on Monday demanded more money from the European Union to help deal with the refugee crisis as EU leaders appealed to Ankara to take back thousands of migrants and prevent others from setting off for Europe. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)
The Associated Press
BRUSSELS (AP) - European Union leaders said early Tuesday they reached the outlines for a possible deal with Ankara to return thousands of migrants to Turkey and said they were confident a full agreement could be reached at a summit next week.
During 12 hours of negotiations, Turkey insisted that any agreement would require Europe to advance Turkey's long-delayed hope of joining the bloc. As an additional step, Turkey said it expects EU nations to ease its visa restrictions on Turkish citizens within months.
Turkey said it would be willing to make greater efforts to contain irregular migration. "This is a welcome approach," German Chancellor Angela Merkel said, but added "it needs more time" for the member states to fully approve it.
British Prime Minister David Cameron said that "we do have the basis for a breakthrough which is the possibility that in future all migrants who arrive in Greece will be returned to Turkey." The sides will now reconvene at a two-day summit starting March 17.
Turkey, home to 2.75 million refugees chiefly from neighboring Syria, surprised EU counterparts Monday by demanding a doubling of funding beyond the 3 billion euros ($3.3 billion) already pledged. "Turkey is ready to work with the EU, and Turkey is ready to be a member of the EU as well," Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davatoglu told reporters in Brussels.
For its part, the EU sought to gain stronger commitments from Turkey to take back refugees who have reached European shores and ease a crisis that has left an estimated 13,000 to 14,000 souls encamped in the wintry cold on the Greece-Macedonia border.
"To stop refugees arriving in Greece, we have to cooperate with Turkey," French President Francois Hollande said. Even though many saw the outlines of a deal, it was still too early to clinch it.
In Ankara, the Turkish capital, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused the EU of failing to provide enough of the already pledged funds. He also criticized Europe for refusing to accept asylum seekers more readily, linking that policy to needless deaths as thousands opt to cross illegally by sea from the Turkish coast to offshore Greek islands.
"We are not sending them. They are going by sea and many of them are dying. We have rescued close to 100,000 from the sea," Erdogan said in a speech.
Turkey is seeking a new EU commitment to take Syrians and other high-percentage refugee applicants via safe travel routes, such as at the land border between Turkey and Greece, to reduce drowning deaths in the Aegean Sea.
Overshadowing the summit diplomacy is Turkey's questionable human rights record. On Friday, Turkish police stormed the headquarters of an anti-government newspaper to enforce a court order placing the paper and its sister outlets under new management. Police spent the weekend using tear gas and water cannons to quell street protests.
Hollande said that EU cooperation with Turkey should not be interpreted as European acceptance of Turkish rights restrictions. "The press must be free everywhere, including in Turkey," he said.
Of immediate concern was the plight of people stuck at Greece's northern border with non-EU member Macedonia, which for the past year has been one of the most popular routes for asylum seekers to reach central Europe via the Balkans. Hundreds of thousands of people have used the route in recent months to try to reach Germany, Sweden and other preferred destinations.
Macedonia now has effectively sealed off that route, a position backed by Austria, Croatia, Serbia, Slovenia and Hungary. Cash-strapped Greece has struggled to cope with the rapid buildup of humanity.
Those camped on the border vowed Monday to press on into Europe, regardless of what diplomats decide in Brussels.
"Whatever it takes, we will go. We have nothing to go back to. Our homes are destroyed," said Lasgeen Hassan, a Syrian Kurd who hopes to reunite with relatives already in Germany.
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Associated Press reporters Derek Gatopoulos in Athens, Greece, and Elena Becatoros on the Greece-Macedonia border contributed to this report.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, center, takes her seat during a lunch with other leaders at an EU summit in Brussels on Monday, March 7, 2016. European Union leaders arrived in Brussels Monday to press Turkey to do more to stop migrants entering Europe and to shore up support for Greece, where thousands of people are stranded. (Olivier Hoslet, Pool Photo via AP)
The Associated Press
Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu is reflected in the roof of his car as he leaves an EU summit in Brussels on Monday, March 7, 2016. Turkey on Monday demanded more money from the European Union to help deal with the refugee crisis as EU leaders appealed to Ankara to take back thousands of migrants and prevent others from setting off for Europe. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)
The Associated Press
Tents of refugees and migrants stand next to a refugee camp at the Greek-Macedonian border, near the northern Greek village of Idomeni, Monday, March 7, 2016. At a summit in Brussels European Union leaders on Monday sought to press Turkey to do more to stop migrants from entering Europe and to shore up support for Greece, where thousands of people are stranded. (AP Photo/Eldar Emric)
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Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, center, speaks with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, left, and European Council President Donald Tusk prior to a group photo at an EU summit in Brussels on Monday, March 7, 2016. European Union leaders are holding a summit in Brussels on Monday with Turkey to discuss the current migration crisis.(Emmanuel Dunand, Pool Photo via AP)
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A migrant walks by the fence separating Greece and Macedonia at the northern Greek border station of Idomeni, Monday, March 7, 2016. Greek police officials say Macedonian authorities have imposed further restrictions on refugees trying to cross the border, saying only those from cities they consider to be at war can enter as up to 14,000 people are trapped in Idomeni, while another 6,000-7,000 are being housed in refugee camps around the region.(AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
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Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, right, shakes hands with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras during a meeting on the sidelines of an EU summit in Brussels on Monday, March 7, 2016. European Union leaders are holding a summit in Brussels on Monday with Turkey to discuss the current migration crisis. (Yves Herman, Pool Photo via AP)
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A migrant wipes his eyes holding a German flag at the northern Greek border station of Idomeni, Sunday, March 6, 2016. Greek police officials say Macedonian authorities have imposed further restrictions on refugees trying to cross the border, saying only those from cities they consider to be at war can enter as up to 14,000 people are trapped in Idomeni, while another 6,000-7,000 are being housed in refugee camps around the region. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
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German Chancellor Angela Merkel looks out of her car window as she arrives for an EU summit at the EU Council building in Brussels on Monday, March 7, 2016. European Union leaders are holding a summit in Brussels on Monday with Turkey to discuss the current migration crisis. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)
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People wait in queues to receive food distributed by non-governmental organizations at the Athens' port of Piraeus where over 2,000 stranded refugees and migrants stay at the passenger terminal buildings and their tents, on Monday, March 7, 2016. European Union leaders will be looking to boost aid to Greece as the Balkan migrant route is effectively sealed, using Monday's summit as an attempt to restore unity among the 28 member nations after months of increasing bickering and go-it-alone policies. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
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A child plays with a cardboard box at the northern Greek border station of Idomeni, Sunday, March 6, 2016. Greek police officials say Macedonian authorities have imposed further restrictions on refugees trying to cross the border, saying only those from cities they consider to be at war can enter as up to 14,000 people are trapped in Idomeni, while another 6,000-7,000 are being housed in refugee camps around the region.(AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
The Associated Press
Migrants, mostly from Afghanistan, take part in a rally demanding to be allowed to cross the border to Macedonia, at the Athens' port of Piraeus on Sunday, March 6, 2016. While thousands arrive in Greeceâs main port of Piraeus from the islands, about 13,000-14,000 people remain stranded in Idomeni, at the Greek-Macedonia borderline, with more arriving each day. The refugee camp has overflowed, with thousands pitching tents among the railway tracks and in adjacent fields. (AP Photo/Yorgos Karahalis)
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