EUROPEAN Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said yesterday a crisis could be averted in membership talks with Turkey if the political will existed for Ankara to fulfil its obligations towards Cyprus.
Rehn, who was on a visit to Ankara told a news conference: “We can really avoid a train crash if we have the political will.”
Meanwhile, government spokesman Christodoulos Pashardis yesterday repeated Nicosia’s position in his response to statements made by Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan in Washington on Monday again linking the two issues.
”When Erdogan declares that the so-called isolation should be ended so that Turkey will open its ports and airports to Cypriot ships and planes, essentially he calls on us to recognise the pseudo-state, so that Ankara abides by its European obligations,” Pashiardis said.
”In short we are being called on to pay a heavy political cost so that Ankara will settle its debt to the EU,” he added. “Only Turkey could submit such an absurd demand and only an irrational Cypriot government would satisfy it.”
Pashardis said Turkish Cypriot ‘isolation’ was no more than a slogan that had nothing to do with reality, “nor with Ankara’s sincere concern for the Turkish Cypriots but it relates to the Turkish side’s concern to politically upgrade the pseudo state,” he said.
”Instead of recognising the Republic of Cyprus, as the EU demands, Turkey demands from the Republic of Cyprus to recognise the pseudo-state.”
Turkey is required to extend its customs union agreement to the ten new member states, which involves opening its ports and airports to Greek Cypriot traffic. But Ankara says it will only do so if the EU ends the economic isolation of the Turkish Cypriots.
“Since signing the Additional Protocol of the Association Agreement in July 2005 as a condition to open the accession negotiations, Turkey has not moved towards its implementation,” said Rehn. “It has not removed obstacles to the free movement of goods, including restrictions on transport links with Cyprus. Yet, this is a legal, contractual obligation Turkey has made.”
Reports earlier yesterday said that hours before his trip to Turkey, Rehn asked for help with the Cyprus issue from Mark Malloch Brown, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations.
In a short statement after the meeting, Brown said he assured Rehn of future support from the United Nations but did not specify what kind of assistance had been discussed.
Reports have been rife for the past month that the EU Finnish presidency was attempting to come up with a compromise deal that would allow the opening of Famagusta port, possibly under EU or UN administration.
The Cyprus government says that any EU formula to press Turkey to open its ports and airports to Greek Cypriot traffic must include the return of Varohsa but exclude any reference to direct trade with the north.
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