Turkey fumes over EU stance - Cyprus rejects criticism

By Alex Efthyvoulos

Turkey and the Turkish Cypriot leadership continued to fume yesterday over the European Union's counter-declaration which demands that it must recognise Cyprus, while the Cyprus government spokesman spent more time rejecting Greek Cypriot criticism the declaration was not strong enough.

Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Namik Tan said Turkey was "saddened over the EU's declaration," branding it as "one-sided and political."

He added that this "could weaken the United Nations process regarding Cyprus.''

Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul repeated while at the United Nations in New York that Turkey would never recognise Cyprus.

The EU agreed on Wednesday that Turkey must recognise EU member Cyprus during its membership, warning that non-recognition could paralyse the negotiations due to open on October 3.

Cyprus said it was satisfied with the adoption of the counter-declaration.

Government Spokesman Kypros Chrysostomides said it had adopted Nicosia's three basic demands, for recognition and full implementation of the customs protocol and to allow Cypriot ships and planes to use Turkish ports.

He also stressed yesterday that Turkey's obligation to conform to the EU demands was linked to the negotiating framework for the conduct of the EU-Turkey membership negotiations.

The "fierce" Turkish reaction to both the EU counter-declaration and to the negotiating framework stressed the significance of this development, Chrysostomides added.

He said that references concerning the Cyprus problem in the negotiating framework and the demand asking Turkey to normalise its relations with Cyprus ``are especially important.''

Among other things, the framework also demands Turkey's compliance with EU principles, respect for Human Rights and the implementation of the judgements of the Human Rights Court of the Council of Europe. Turkey has been refusing to implement these judgements, which are of major significance for Cyprus because they demand the restitution of the rights of the Greek Cypriot refugees (return and repossession of property) who were ethnically cleansed from the Turkish-occupied north of the island.

Chrysostomides rejected Turkish complaints that the adoption of the EU counter-declaration weakened the UN settlement process.

"With Turkey tied to the EU carriage, we seek ways to promote efforts to solve the Cyprus problem because that is where the weight has been placed in relation with the broader efforts of the United Nations.''

He also dismissed threats by the 'prime minister' of the breakaway Turkish Cypriot state, Ferdi Sabit Soyer, that his side would never recognise Cyprus.

The whole world recognises Cyprus while the Turkish Cypriot administration "is nothing but a vassal administration of the Turkish occupation force," Chrysostomides said.

He urged both Soyer and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayip Erdogan to work for a just settlement using the fact that Cyprus is now a member of the EU as a catalyst to facilitate a settlement based on EU principles, and to drop their demand for the dissolution of the Cyprus state and its replacement by a confederation of two separate states.

The framework for Turkey's entry talks clarifies that once these begin with a ceremony in Luxembourg on October 3, they will split up into different chapters.

These will range from human rights to environmental protection and antitrust laws and then enter a technical process that could last a dozen years.

The EU statement made clear that progress would depend on Turkey dealing with all its members, including Cyprus.

The opposition Democratic Rally Party (Disy) as well as Socialist Edek, which is represented in the ruling coalition, and other smaller parties, criticise the government for not insisting on an even stringer and unequivocal EU counter-declaration, even to the point of using its veto.

The EU told Turkey on Wednesday it must recognise Cyprus and that it would review progress on this in 2006. Disy and the other government critics argue that Cyprus should have insisted on recognition immediately with the opening of the EU-Turkey entry negotiations as a condition for their continuation.

Chrysostomides charged that Disy "is using a sophist approach in connection with the counter-declaration and the negotiating framework, by saying that the meaning of the declaration is reduced while we did not give proper attention to the framework."

He rejected this claim saying that after "intense and continuous efforts, in conjunction with the Greek government, we achieved a text, with such changes in the counter-declaration, to make it satisfactory for our side, declaring that our three basic targets have been achieved."