EUROPEAN Union Enlargement Commissioner Gunther Verheugen has accused Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash of tampering with electoral rolls in an effort to engineer the outcome of elections in the occupied north on Sunday week.
In an interview published in yesterday’s Turkish daily Zaman, Verheugen stressed a solution of the Cyprus problem was not a precondition for Turkey to get a date for accession talks, as such a position would mean the country’s European prospects would be in the hands of the Greek Cypriots.
But Verheugen pointed out he had told both Denktash in 2000 and Turkey’s former Foreign Minister Ismail Cem in 1999, that Cyprus would become a member on May 1, 2004.
“I emphasised that the strategic conditions in the EU would be different after May 1, 2004.
“There is still time; a solution is in Turkey’s best interests, above anyone else’s,” Verheugen said.
The commissioner said the Cyprus question could have blocked the entire process of enlargement.
“So our priority was to provide stability and security between the Baltic and the Black seas.
“The Cyprus issue needed to be eliminated as an obstacle to integration.
“And we did that,” he said.
Verheugen denied the EU had bowed to Greek blackmail.
“This is not blackmail, but a political reality.
“I never made any evaluations or comments on the issue; I accepted it as a reality.”
He said he had warned Denktash that 105 million Europeans could not wait for him to agree and find a solution with former Cypriot President Glafcos Clerides.
“Denktash knew it but did not accept it. He never realised that I would adopt different strategies. I am afraid he still doesn’t.”
He repeated that Cyprus was not a formal condition, but pointed out that he could not convince 15 or 25 countries to start negotiations with Turkey.
“The only country that does not accept one of our prospective members is Turkey.
“Everyone knows that the UN Security Council deems the permanent presence of Turkish troops on the island to be illegal.
“Do you think that we would start negotiations with a country that illegally has soldiers in one of our members’ lands?”
Asked of what he thought of Denktash as a statesman, Verheugen was clear: “If you tamper with the voters’ roll, then you are not a statesman.”
“You only need to look at the numbers. This year there are 20,000 more voters than in 1998.”
The number of voters had increased by 4,000 since September and this “definitely” does not stem from the birth rate, the EU commissioner said.
“Everyone knows Denktash gave citizenship to many Turks.
“Despite the Turkish government’s guarantee, I am still afraid the elections will be overshadowed,” he said.
Verheugen said he had strong doubts about the elections, but refused to elaborate when asked if he thought they would be rigged.
“As you know, we do not recognise the TRNC as a ruling state; we do not accept its parliament either.
“We also do not regard its elections as the ones in democratic ruling countries,” Verheugen said.
But he added that the EU regarded the elections as having political significance in that if a pro-EU party won, the process towards a solution on the island would be accelerated.
“The elections could help Turkey to find a solution; therefore the elections should be conducted in a way that no one can claim it is not clear and fair.”
