Turkey would review Nabucco if EU talks blocked

BRUSSELS, Jan 19 (Reuters) - Turkey will review its support for the Nabucco gas pipeline from central Asia to Europe if the energy portion of its EU accession talks remains blocked, Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday.

"If we are faced with a situation where the energy chapter is blocked, we would of course review our position," he told reporters in Brussels, when asked if his country would block the project if the energy talks with the EU were not opened.

Diplomats say Cyprus has been blocking the opening of talks in the energy area because of a row with Turkey on gas exploration at sea. Energy is one of the 35 areas, or so-called chapters, in Turkey's accession talks.

(Reporting by Ingrid Melander, Writing by Pete Harrison)