Turkey's EU hopes hit trouble again

Turkey's EU hopes hit trouble again

Nicholas Watt and David Gow in Brussels
Friday June 16, 2006
The Guardian

Turkey's troubled negotiations on joining the EU hit further difficulty yesterday as Austria tried to place the brakes on enlargement and a veteran European leader warned talks may have to be frozen. As EU leaders gathered for their mid-summer summit, the Austrian chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel underlined misgivings at the prospect of Turkish membership by tabling proposals that would stiffen entry conditions.

Under the proposal the requirement to consider the EU's "absorption capacity" every time a new member is admitted would become a strict criterion.

Chancellor Schuessel's proposal is unlikely to be accepted because at least 13 other countries at the summit do not want to put such an obvious block on Ankara. If it joined Turkey would account for around 20% of the EU's population.

The unease about Turkey was highlighted when Jean Claude-Juncker, the prime minister of Luxembourg, warned that membership negotiations should be called off if Ankara refuses to open ports and airports to Greek Cyprus.

"If Turkey were not to implement this condition this year my view is that the negotiations will have to be postponed," he told the French newspaper La Croix.

Mr Juncker is a veteran EU fixer who chairs the Euro group of finance ministers which is becoming one of the most influential bodies in the union. His comments reflect deep concern in the EU that Turkey appears to be reneging on its commitment to open up its ports and airports to Greek Cyprus by the end of this year.

Jose Manuel Barroso, the president of the European Commission, told the BBC: "First of all [it will be] very demanding for them but also demanding for us here to be ready to accommodate such an important big country that is seen by so many of us as culturally different from let's say mainstream Europe."

Matters may come to a head in the autumn when Olli Rehn, the EU enlargement commissioner, issues his annual report on how Turkey's membership talks are proceeding. Mr Rehn has warned of the danger of a "train crash" in the negotiations.

Turkey threatens to pull out of EU talks

· Dispute over access for Cyprus caps tough week
· Membership negotiations facing autumn crisis

Ian Traynor and Nicholas Watt in Brussels
Saturday June 17, 2006
The Guardian

Turkey declared on Friday it was prepared to abandon EU membership negotiations rather than open its ports and airports to Cyprus.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish prime minister, rejected demands from European leaders for it to open its borders to Greek Cypriot shipping by the end of the year.

In one of his strongest statements to date, Mr Erdogan warned that Turkey would not move until the EU ended a trade embargo on the "republic of northern Cyprus" - recognised by no one but the Turks since their 1974 invasion.

Turkey declared on Friday it was prepared to abandon EU membership negotiations rather than open its ports and airports to Cyprus.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish prime minister, rejected demands from European leaders for it to open its borders to Greek Cypriot shipping by the end of the year.

Speaking to the Chamber of Commerce in Istanbul, Mr Erdogan said: "Don't expect anything ... not on the subject of the ports and airports."

Brussels has warned Ankara that it must open its ports and airports to all EU countries - including Greek Cyprus - by the end of the year or risk a disruption of its membership negotiations.

Mr Erdogan made clear he was prepared to pay this price when he said: "It's astonishing that the negotiations could stop. Look, I'm being very clear: if they stop, they stop ... we will never take a step backwards on the ports or the airports without a lifting of the isolation [of northern Cyprus]."

The tough stance adopted by Mr Erdogan showed how Turkey's EU membership talks are heading for a crisis in the autumn when the European Commission delivers its annual progress report. Olli Rehn, the European enlargement commissioner, has warned of a "train crash" unless Turkey opens up its ports and speeds up reforms on human rights and free speech.

A series of European leaders warned Turkey that it must act unilaterally and not attempt to link the opening of ports to the lifting of the trade embargo on northern Cyprus. Jacques Chirac, the French president, said talks may have to be suspended unless Turkey acts.

"It is obvious to me Turkey must respect the obligations it has entered into to allow goods coming from Cyprus access to its ports," Mr Chirac said. "If it didn't, it [Turkey] would be putting in doubt itself its capacity to pursue enlargement."

The spat between Ankara and the EU capped one of the worst weeks in EU-Turkish relations since membership talks opened last October. Cyprus came close to derailing the opening of the detailed stage of the talks on Monday when it demanded that Turkey recognise its half of the island. A crisis was averted after EU foreign ministers agreed to remind Ankara that it must recognise Nicosia during the membership negotiations, which could last up to 15 years.

Unease at the prospect of Turkish membership was highlighted at the EU summit when Austria tabled proposals to put a brake on the process. Under the Austrian proposal the current requirement to consider the EU's "absorption capacity" every time a new member is admitted would become a strict criterion.

European leaders will have a full debate on the EU's "capacity to absorb new members" at their next major summit in December

Turkey’s EU process on the brink
By Birsen Altayli and Mark John

TURKEY yesterday vowed to defy European Union demands to open its ports and airports to Cyprus in an escalating dispute that threatens to derail its membership ambitions.

EU leaders at a summit in Brussels shot back with renewed calls for it to let in Cypriot traffic by the end of the year, saying any refusal could hit accession talks with the mostly Muslim state which started only eight months ago.

Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan declared Ankara would not budge even if it led to EU entry talks being frozen, insisting the bloc must first lift trade restrictions against Turkish Cypriots in the breakaway north of the island.

"So long as the Turkish Cypriots remain isolated, we will not open our ports and airports. If the [EU] negotiations halt, then let them halt," Erdogan said in a televised speech to the Istanbul Chamber of Industry, to loud applause.

The comments were greeted with dismay in Brussels, where French President Jacques Chirac said continued defiance by Ankara would jeopardise its hopes of ever entering the EU.

"It is obvious to me Turkey must respect the obligations it has entered into to allow goods coming from Cyprus access to its ports," he told a news conference.

"If it didn't, it [Turkey] would be putting in doubt itself its capacity to pursue enlargement," Chirac added.

The Turkish lira slipped to 1.5950 against the dollar on Erdogan's comments, traders said, down 0.3 per cent on the day. It continued to weaken in after-hours trade to stand at 1.5960 to the dollar.

Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker earlier this week urged the EU to freeze talks with Turkey if it did not extend its EU customs union to all new member states.

While no leader at the summit publicly joined that call, Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel told a news conference "it would be a problem if this statement of Erdogan is true".

Other wrung their hands over the worsening stand-off.

"Of course the membership of Turkey to the European Union is by far a much more challenging issue than others that we are now dealing with," said EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso.
"If you want it to succeed, and that is of course our goal, we have to make an effort on the European side but also on the Turkish side," said Barroso, whose executive Commission conducts the negotiations with Ankara.

Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis said all EU hopefuls had to respect the detailed preconditions set out for them.

"The EU functions on the basis of certain principles and there cannot be exceptions for anyone," Karamanlis said.

Turkey, an EU candidate country since 1999, finally began its membership negotiations last October, after making extensive political and human rights reforms.

Earlier this week, it closed talks on the first and least contentious of 35 policy areas it has to work through before joining the bloc. Turkey is not expected to join the EU before
2015, at the earliest.

Turks feel the EU was wrong to admit Cyprus under its Greek Cypriot government into the bloc without first securing a comprehensive settlement on the island.

They note that Turkish Cypriots voted for a UN-backed plan to reunify the island in 2004 but the more numerous and wealthier Greek Cypriots rejected the plan by a big majority.
Days later they joined the EU as the Republic of Cyprus.

"We did what we had to do [in supporting the Annan plan] ... We will show ourselves positive to those who are positive towards us," said Erdogan.

Cyprus has said it is ready to block Turkey's entry talks if no progress is made on the ports and airports issue.

Commenting on Erdogan's tough stance, Tim Ash, an analyst at Bear Stearns International, said: "Erdogan faces elections over the next 18 months, rising nationalism domestically in Turkey and evidence of ebbing in his AK Party's ratings."
"Hence he is unlikely to compromise over this issue."

Cyprus Mail 17/06/2006

Anger at Annan dig over EU complications
By Jean Christou

CYPRUS has lodged an official complaint with the UN Secretariat following comments by Secretary-general Kofi Annan that the island’s accession to the EU had complicated the process for a political solution.

Government Spokesman Christodoulos Pashardis said yesterday that the Cypriot Permanent Representative to the UN, Andreas Mavroyiannis, had made representations over the comment.

In comments to the press in New York on Thursday, Annan said the situation in Cyprus had been complicated by the fact that Cyprus was an EU member and Turkey a candidate.

He referred to the controversy last weekend, when Nicosia objected to the closing of Turkey’s first chapter in Luxembourg. Cyprus said Turkey should not be given a free ride since it had refused to normalise relations with Cyprus by opening its ports and airports to Greek Cypriot traffic.

“So, when you are negotiating and you have one country sitting in the club and the other seeking to join the club, it does not make it easier.

Quite frankly, I think that this situation has complicated the process,” Annan said.

Asked about the Cyprus process, Annan said he had got closer to a solution than most. He said he was still in touch with the parties but was critical over the current stalemate.

“I recall my last meeting with Mr Papadopoulos in Paris, where we discussed the need to resume the talks. I pointed out to him that I would want to see more action than words; I would want to see the gap between words and action narrow a bit more to convince me that the parties are ready to move,” said Annan.

“At that point, he and [Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali] Talat, who live very close to each other, had not even met in about two years and we had been trying to get them to meet.”

Annan confirmed that Undersecretary-general for Political Affairs Ibrahim Gambari would be in the region shortly. “He will go to Cyprus and then to Greece and to Turkey to take the pulse, and come back to report to me as to what the situation is and whether there is enough movement for us to begin to look at what further steps we can take to push the parties forward,” Annan said. “For the moment, I cannot promise you that I will resolve it between now and the end of December, but I did get close.”

Pashardis said Annan’s statements had come as a surprise, particularly as they were made on the same day that the EU summit was sending a strong message to Turkey on its obligations towards member states.

He said the government regarded Annan’s statements as a message to Brussels – “a message that could possibly be considered by some as an intervention in European affairs,” said Pashardis.

“The real reason for the perplexity of the whole situation is the fact that Turkey and some of its friends want the Cyprus problem to be removed from Turkey's EU course, which according to a the strange theory of some, is entitled to a unique prerogative not to fulfil its obligations and commitments towards the Republic of Cyprus and towards the EU in general,” Pashardis said. “This strange theory is not endorsed and not shared by the EU.”

Pashardis said the reason the Cyprus problem was complicated was because Turkey “and some others” were trying to compromise what could not be compromised and “to discover ways and devise methods so that the EU can adapt to Turkey's formulas rather than Ankara adapting to EU rules.”

The only way out of the complications was for Turkey to comply with EU values and principles, he insisted.

Pashardis also said Annan’s comment about the gap between words and actions mainly concerned the Turkish side.

“The bridging of the gap presupposes an identity of targets and is achieved with mutual concessions not by unilateral shifts,” he said.

“Annan himself can – after the meeting he had [in Paris] with Cypriot President Tassos Papadopoulos and the well-known agreement achieved – determine who indeed refuses to co-operate,” he added.

Political parties also slammed Annan’s comments yesterday. Socialist EDEK leader Yiannakis Omirou said they were offensive and “beyond unfortunate”.

He said the statements were also beyond the scope of Annan’s mandate on Cyprus. ‘The UN Secretary-general should be more objective and unbiased,” said Omirou.

Opposition DISY also registered their disagreement. Party vice chairman Averoff Neophytou said: “The integration of Cyprus into the EU and the beginning of accession negotiations by Turkey create new possibilities for the resolution of the Cypriot question, offer new incentives and important opportunities to advance towards a comprehensive settlement,” Neophytou said. “The EU should remain the catalyst for a solution.”

Neophytou also commented on the fact that Annan had blamed both leaders equally for not meeting in the past two years, but he said the Greek Cypriot side should do something to change that impression.

17/06/06 Cyprus Mail 2006

UN approves renewal of force mandate
By Jean Christou

THE UN has approved the renewal of UNFICYP’s mandate for another six months, while urging both sides to move forward towards the resumption of Cyprus negotiations.

“Only the achievement of a comprehensive settlement will bring an end to the Cyprus problem,” the Security Council said. “In the absence of such a comprehensive settlement, the presence of UNFICYP on the island continues to be necessary.”

The report said that while there had been signals of some willingness to begin to re-engage, there had been no tangible indicators of an evolution in the respective positions, according to what the Council heard from UN Secretary-general Kofi Annan.

The Council statement echoed the sentiment, urging the two sides to further bicommunal discussions at the technical level, under the leadership of the Special Representative of the Secretary-general in Cyprus Michael Moller.

It also called on the parties to assess and address the humanitarian issue of missing persons “with due urgency and seriousness” and urged both sides to avoid any action which could lead to an increase in tension.

The Council expressed its concern at continued disagreement over construction activity relating to the proposed additional crossing point at Ledra Street and urged both sides to co-operate with UNFICYP to resolve this issue.

After the vote, the Permanent Representative of Greece to the United Nations, Ambassador Adamantios Vasilakis, said Athens had voted in favour of the UNFICYP extension because it considered that the presence of the peacekeeping force on the island continued to be indispensable and imperative due to the continuing presence of approximately 40,000 Turkish troops on the island and the security threat these represented for international peace and security.

“There is no doubt that it is our common wish and desire around this table that the problem of Cyprus finds a just and permanent solution based on Security Council Resolutions so that the island be reunified and the two communities enjoy a common future to the benefit of maintenance of peace and security on both the island and the region,” said Vasilakis.
“We regret though to note that the text adopted here today, unfortunately, does not convey a sufficiently clear and strong message as to the basis, the scope and the objectives of the UN efforts for a fair and lasting settlement of the problem of Cyprus.”

He said this was why Greece had insisted on some clarifications where the Council urged for “progress towards the resumption of negotiations for a comprehensive settlement”. Vasilakis said it should have been reaffirmed that negotiations had to take place between the two communities.

Cyprus' Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Andreas Mavroyiannis, thanked the UN for maintaining the presence of UNFICYP on the island, “a presence we consider indispensable as long as Turkish occupation of the northern part of the island continues”.

He said, however, that Cyprus would have preferred a stronger message against “the unacceptable presence of 40,000 Turkish troops and the continuing violations of the status quo by the Turkish army as well as the restrictions it imposes on the peacekeeping force”.

He was echoed yesterday by Government Spokesman Christodoulos Pashardis. “The final result was a painless compromise between the member states of the Security Council,” he saidm referring to haggling that had gone on for ten days leading up to the vote on the resolution.

Britain and the US had attempted to change some of the terminology, wanting to use the word “entities” instead of “communities” in reference to the two sides.

17/06/06 Cyprus Mail 2006

Where to now for Turkey and the EU?
By Jean Christou

THE TWO sides ended up trading barbs yesterday following a week of developments that have thrown Turkey’s EU accession off course and cast a shadow over any new Cyprus talks.

Trouble began with the Foreign Ministers meeting in Luxembourg last weekend when Cyprus blocked the closing of Turkey’s chapter on research and development citing, Ankara’s obligation to open its ports and airports to Greek Cypriot traffic.

A compromise saw the EU Ministers urge Turkey to fulfil its EU obligations, which satisfied the Cyprus government.

But on Friday Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan vowed to defy the EU demands after EU leaders at a summit in Brussels issued renewed calls for it to let in Greek Cypriot traffic by the end of the year. They warned of repercussions on the accession talks but a defiant Erdogan said he would not budge even if it meant putting a stop to Ankara’s EU ambitions.
On top of that UN Secretary-general Kofi Annan said on Tuesday that Cyprus` EU entry had complicated efforts for a settlement, which caused a storm of protest from the Greek Cypriot side.

Yesterday Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat entered the fray, saying that President Tassos Papadopoulos’ efforts to block the Turkish Cypriot side at every turn were becoming comical with the President getting himself into ridiculous situations due to his attitude towards the Turkish Cypriot side.

He said “Greek Cyprus” had been trying to become a member of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) under the status of observer. “There can't be anything funnier than membership of this country – where priests stand in the second row of the protocol section and where a ‘president' is elected without counting votes from the Turkish or Muslim population – to the OIC with observer status,” said Talat.

“Papadopoulos becoming ridiculous with his OIC attempt. The sole aim with these kinds of efforts is to prevent the TRNC from proceeding even one millimetre.”

Talat’s comments were attacked by the Greek Cypriot political parties and the government later yesterday. Undersecretary to the President and government spokesman Christodoulos Pashardis said that Talat had exceeded himself with his statement on the “insane and comical” policies of the President.

“If his is not the result of simple confusion on his part, then it is simply a reaffirmation of his intolerance and his unwillingness to collaborate on finding an acceptable solution to the Cyprus question,” said Pashardis.

“On the one hand Mr Talat is presenting himself as a defender of reunification who is urgently seeking a meeting with Mr Papadopoulos and on the other hand he accuses the one he wants to meet as an enemy of a solution and an adversary of the Turkish Cypriots. It is a impressive contradiction, which only Mr Talat can justify and explain instead of resorting to attacks and outbursts of fanaticism.”

Commenting on the developments in Europe during the week, Talat said could not see Turkey turning away from its EU course.

“We should see what's going to happen. I don't believe Turkey will have a vision other than the EU. Even if it didn't act this way in the past, Turkey's vision was always towards the EU.

Turkey has never given up on the EU,” he said, adding that he believed this vision would not change. “Turkey has seen its goal as Europe since Ataturk,” he said.

Talat did not comment on the statements by Kofi Annan on Tuesday but Papadopoulos on Friday night said he had found the statement on Cyprus and the EU “incomprehensible”. “Set aside the fact that it is a matter that does not concern him,” said Papadopoulos.

The week’s upsets come only 20 days before Annan’s Undersecretary-general for Political Affairs Ibrahim Gambari is due in the region to assess the prospects for moving forward on the Cyprus issue and to gauge the temperature for the start of talks by the technical committees.

The committees, which Annan wants up and running and making progress so that he can asses the climate for new Cyprus talks are proving to be another bone of contention. The government says the Turkish Cypriot side only wants the committees to be used to discuss everyday issues that affect them, while the Greek Cypriot side wants them to be more substantive.

CYPRUS MAIL 18/06/06

‘Makarios promised me £20 a month for designing flag’
By Jean Christou

ISMET GUNEY, the Turkish Cypriot artist and teacher who designed the Cyprus flag is seeking payment from the government, 46 years after Archbishop Makarios chose his design to represent the new Republic of Cyprus.

According to reports in the Turkish Cypriot press yesterday Guney claims that Makarios promised him £20 a year for designing the flag but he was never paid.

It was not reported whether Guney had ever approached Makarios or received payment between 1960 and 1974, when the Turkish invasion divided the island.

He now wants his money plus compensation for copyright usage.

The total by now would amount to £920 after 46 years. The article did not say if he would be seeking an inflation-adjusted sum, which would bring the total much higher.

The reports said Guney had hired a Greek Cypriot law firm to push his case but it did not specify which one. His lawyers have already sent a letter to President Tasssos Papadopoulos giving him ten days to respond and meet the payment. If he receives no reply Guney said he was prepared to take the case to the European Court of Human Rights.

Guney’s designed flag was adopted on August 16, 1960. It features a map of the island, with two olive branches underneath as a symbol of peace on a white background. Cyprus is the only country to display its map on its official flag.

The flag of Cyprus was selected by Makarios after Guney submitted his proposal along with a message from then vice-president Fazil K???k. Both the Greek blue and Turkish red were avoided at the time.

The Cyprus flag is only used by Greek Cypriots. A new flag was designed under the terms of the Annan Plan. Unlike the current official flag, this version consciously incorporates colours representing Greece and Turkey.

Responding to the reports yesterday, left-wing AKEL spokesman Andros Kyprianou said that if such an agreement existed between Guney and Makarios it should be looked into by the government.

CYPRUS MAIL 18/06/06