THE 21st EU-Cyprus joint parliamentary committee (JPC) concluded its proceedings in Nicosia yesterday, conveying the message that the island would join the bloc irrespective of a solution to the political problem.
Mechtild Rothe, the committee’s chairwoman, was categorical that no matter how far negotiations between Greek and Turkish Cypriots progressed, the island would be signing the accession agreement by early next year. Rothe said this position was unanimous among both the European Parliament and the EU Commission.
The political situation in Cyprus and its ties to EU-Cyprus relations was the top item on the agenda of the committee during the several sessions held since Wednesday at Nicosia’s Hilton Hotel.
Both Rothe and Tassos Papadopoulos, co-chairman of the EU-Cyprus JPC, emphasised that objective criteria applied to the island’s application to the bloc. According to Rothe, Cyprus has still to complete three more chapters before fully satisfying accession requirements.
The next wave of EU enlargement is slated to include 10 more countries, with the accession agreements signed late this year or early 2003. However, the EU negotiates and signs agreements separately with individual candidates.
In an apparent bid to show how close the island was to accession proceedings, Rothe said this JPC meet would be the last to be held on the island prior to the signing of the accession agreement.
“As long as Cyprus has one voice, as long as it is represented at the EU level as a single entity, then there is no reason why the island should not be a member,” noted Rothe, adding this was irrespective of what technical term would be given to a united Cyprus.
Euro MPs of the JPC pointed the finger at Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash for the impasse in the talks, but added they still hoped for a breakthrough.
Senior Turkish officials, including Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit, have warned of “limitless” Turkish reaction in the event Cyprus joins the EU before a political settlement, leaving the Turkish Cypriot community out in the cold. Political pundits have interpreted this reaction as an annexation or even a veiled war threat.
Asked to comment, Rothe said yesterday that any such Turkish action was a “remote possibility, a highly unlikely scenario that we would not even wish to contemplate.” Papadopoulos then stepped in, pointing out that that would effectively invalidate Turkey’s partnership agreement with the EU.
In response to a journalist’s comment that the EU’s stance in this issue seemed more reactive than pro-active, Rothe said that “in theory” any Turkish military action against Cyprus would be dealt with accordingly by ESDP (European Security and Defence Policy), but she did not elaborate.
Other major items on the JPC’s agenda included: the future of Europe and the role of the European Parliament, Euro-Mediterranean partnership, the cultural map of Cyprus and the right to free navigation and trade, where members of Cyprus’ negotiating team again pointed the finger at Turkey.
On the Mideast crisis, Rothe said that the EU condemns both suicide bombings and Israel’s tactics, adding that there has been a temporary freeze on Israel’s partnership agreement. The meet in Nicosia was to be attended by delegates from Arab countries, who stayed away when learning that Israeli officials would be attending. Rothe said this was “regrettable.”
The precise date and venue of the next JPC meeting have not been set.
The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.
