TURKEY’S powerful military said yesterday that it was in favour of a settlement on Cyprus before the divided island joins the European Union in May, but it warned of difficulties ahead.
Without a settlement, only the internationally recognised Greek Cypriot government will enter the EU and will be deemed to represent the whole island, deepening the Turkish Cypriots’ isolation and possibly harming Turkey’s own EU bid.
European Commission President Romano Prodi, visiting Istanbul yesterday, said a Cyprus settlement would not be a precondition for Turkey opening long-delayed EU entry talks next year, but he added it would clearly boost Ankara’s chances.
“We aim for a solution in Cyprus before May 1 but a lasting solution takes a long time and is difficult,” General Ilker Basbug, the number two at Turkey’s General Staff, told a rare news conference. “We are
continuing to work closely with the Foreign Ministry over Cyprus,” he added.
Turkey still keeps at least 30,000 troops on the island.
Some commentators have speculated that the Turkish military does not favour Cyprus’s reunification because of the island’s strategic location near Turkey’s Mediterranean coast.
Turkey’s top soldier, General Hilmi Ozkok, hinted in a recent interview that Cyprus reunification would be possible only if and when the EU agreed to open entry talks with Ankara.
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said this week that Turkey would soon propose amendments to a UN peace plan for the island.
Turkish officials said Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan would discuss the proposals with UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan during the Davos economic summit in Switzerland on January 24.
Erdogan then travels to Washington where Cyprus is expected to feature high on the agenda of talks with President George W Bush, who has also called for the island’s reunification.
European Commission President Romano Prodi, visiting Istanbul yesterday, said a Cyprus settlement would not be a precondition for Turkey opening long-delayed EU entry talks next year, but he added it would clearly boost Ankara’s chances.
Basbug said the military, like the Turkish government, opposed any attempt to link the Cyprus issue with Ankara’s EU bid. But diplomats say Greece and Cyprus could well veto Turkey’s entry talks if there is no settlement by December.
The Turkish Cypriots’ newly formed government has pledged to resume negotiations on the UN blueprint, despite veteran leader Rauf Denktash’s categorical rejection of it last March.
The government, led by pro-settlement Mehmet Ali Talat, has become embroiled in a row over whether three of its newly appointed ministers can hold office for technical reasons.
Talat said yesterday that the matter, which some fear might delay the resumption of peace talks, would be resolved by the enclave’s constitutional court. A ruling is expected within seven to 10 days, experts said.
