FOREIGN Minister George Iacovou said yesterday that Britain fully understood Greek Cypriot positions on Turkey’s EU accession prospects and that no new Cyprus initiative could be started until these issues were resolved.
Iacovou was speaking after a meeting yesterday with Britain’s Minister for Europe Denis McShane, who is on the island for a two-day visit.
The Foreign Minister said it was “generally appreciated” that there could not be a real initiative by December 17, when the EU will decide whether to give Turkey a date for accession talks.
”Britain has shown full understanding towards our demands and has not found any of them unreasonable,” Iacovou said.
The government wants Turkey to recognise the Republic of Cyprus and to extend its EU customs union agreement to Cyprus. It also wants an end to the Turkish ban on Cypriot aircraft flying over its air space, and a similar one on Cyprus-flagged ships docking at Turkish ports.
Iacovou said MacShane had not rejected any of the demands.
”Most of the issues we have raised are obligations Turkey has to meet and are not to be negotiated,” Iacovou said.
In his statements McShane, who also met President Tassos Papadopoulos yesterday, said both the President and Iacovou had a very constructive relationship with all Cyprus` EU partners, something that would help the EU develop a new future in the Eastern Mediterranean in which everybody would be a winner.
”The very constructive relationship President Papadopoulos and the Foreign Minister have with all their partners in Europe will help to move us forward in that direction,” said McShane. ”We count on Cyprus as a partner for the UK in building a new EU of peace and prosperity and social justice.”
House President Demetris Christofias who also met McShane yesterday, said he had outlined the concerns Greek Cypriots had on Britain’s stance following the referendum on the Annan reunification plan in April, when over 75 per cent of Greek Cypriots voted ‘no’.
In the weeks and months following the referendum the government accused Britain and the US of using tactics to ‘punish’ the Greek Cypriots and ‘reward’ the Turkish Cypriots, who voted ‘yes’ by pushing for a proposal for direct trade between the EU and the north.
Speaking after his meeting with McShane, Christofias said he had a “sincere discussion” with the British Minister.
”I expressed the concerns of our people towards the British stance prior, during and especially after the referendum”, said Christofias.
