Iacovou lays out terms for ‘yes’ to Turkey

CYPRUS has explained to Brussels its position regarding what it feels Turkey should do to avoid a veto from Cyprus against its European Union accession course in December.

Foreign Minister George Iacovou, who is in the Belgian capital with President Tassos Papadopoulos to attend the European Council meeting on the Lisbon strategy, which began yesterday, made Cyprus’ position clear during a meeting with High Representative for the EU’s Common Foreign and Defence Policy, Javier Solana.

Iacovou told Solana that it was necessary for Turkey to recognise the Republic of Cyprus, to sign a customs union agreement, to open Turkish ports and airports for Cypriot ships and planes, to lift its vetoes on Cyprus’ participation in various international organisations and to remove all obstacles for Cyprus regarding its participation in the Common Foreign and Defence Policy.

Iacovou also brought up the issues of the exploitation of Greek Cypriot properties in the north, the Turkish settlers, and the necessity to withdraw Turkish troops from the island.

The Minister said he had received Solana’s assurances that he would begin a series of meetings to discuss these issues at stake.

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.