ANKARA, December 9 (IslamOnline) - The scheduled visit by the leader of Turkey's ruling party, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Tuesday, December 10, caused bitter criticism from Turkish media and political opponents that called it "a mere bargaining process'.

Erdogan, who heads the Justice and Development Party (AKP), has been invited to Washington by the White House, which has stumped for its mostly Muslim ally's membership bid for the European Union.

Turkish politicians charged, however, that Erdogan is heading to Washington to gain "solid U.S. support for Turkey's EU bid, in return for Ankara's backing for an eventual U.S. aggression on Iraq".

A poll, conducted by Turkish TV Station TGRT Thursday, December 5, showed that the majority of Turks "oppose any strike against neighbor and Muslim Iraq, and vehemently refuse any Turkish hand in such an aggression".

The participants justified their stance by saying that "the U.S. is fooling Turkey into an unjustified war", adding that Turkey itself could be the next target of the U.S. so-called war on terror.

For his part, Former Turkish Foreign Minister and deputy of the Leftist Democratic Party, Sukri Seina Gurel, described Erdogan's visit to Washington as "introductory and preparatory for himself and his ruling party, in an attempt to gain international legitimacy for the new government".

Erdogan, in press statements Saturday, December 7, however, dismissed "the bargaining description" of his Washington visit, saying the Iraqi file and its effects on Turkey will be discussed with the Americans.

As part of an intense diplomatic drive ahead of a key EU enlargement summit, Erdogan is to meet with U.S. President George W. Bush and UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.

Washington is openly campaigning on behalf of Turkey, a traditionally pro-Western Muslim nation which would be a crucial ally in case of a U.S. military intervention in Iraq.

In a report Saturday, the Turkish CNN said that the economy file will top Erdogan's interests in Washington, adding that the AKP leader will seek U.S. assistance in gaining better conditions for Turkish economic deals with international institutions.

Ahead of his meeting with Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney, Erdogan was scheduled to meet with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of State Colin Powell and national security adviser Condoleezza Rice, AKP officials told AFP Monday.

In New York, talks with Annan are due to cover the thorny issue of Cyprus, whose long-standing division has complicated EU enlargement plans, Anatolia news agency reported.

Turkey wants the European bloc to set a date at its Copenhagen summit this Thursday, December 12, for the start of the laggard candidate's entry talks.

Its bid has divided the 15 EU members on how strongly they should push for a starting date.

Ankara says that fixing a firm date for its membership talks would help efforts to reunify Cyprus, a front-runner for EU membership which has been divided between its Turkish and Greek communities since 1974.

Erdogan met Monday, December 9, with Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen in Copenhagen in a last-ditch effort to strengthen Turkey's EU case.