THE threat of vetoing Turkey’s accession course is more effective than the actual exercise of a veto, Foreign Minster George Lillikas said yesterday.
Lillikas made the comment during a joint news conference in Athens with his Greek counterpart Dora Bakoyanni, when asked by reporters if Cyprus might use its veto against Turkey in the next stage of Ankara’s accession course.
“The threat of veto is more effective than the exercise of veto,” said Lillikas.
He was referring to last week’s near-crisis in Luxembourg when Cyprus objected to the closing of Turkey’s first chapter in the negotiations, promising Ankara would not be given a free ride as long as it failed to recognise Cyprus.
Ankara is obliged to open its ports and airports to Greek Cypriot traffic under the EU customs union agreement, but is refusing to do so. Nicosia managed to persuade the EU to remind Turkey of its obligations before its next review.
“We did not say that we would exercise our veto,” said Lillikas. “What we said was that we wanted essential changes included in the decision, and these all have been included. From the minute we achieved the aims we had set out, there was no reason to veto.”
Lillikas said Turkey had until October to be convinced to fulfil its obligations so that a process could be undertaken to solve the Cyprus issue.
“The time remaining until October [when the EU Commission will issue its report regarding Turkey’s EU course] must be used convince Turkey to respond to its obligations, with a view to pave the way for the procedures to be followed for a Cyprus settlement,” he said.
During his Athens visit, which focused on developments in the Cyprus problem and European Union issues, Lillikas met not only Bakoyanni but Greek President Karolos Papoulias, Development Minister Demetris Sioufas and opposition PASOK leader George Papandreou.
Both he and Bakoyanni in their statements put paid to speculation that there were serious differences of opinion between Athens and Nicosia on the Turkey-EU strategy.
Lillikas said there was an absolute convergence of views between Nicosia and Athens.
“There is no difference in the strategic objective of Greece and Cyprus and neither could one exist,” said Bakoyianni. “We aim at the same direction and work in the same direction.”
She said Greece and Cyprus were co-operating closely “and with absolute co-ordination must work for the sole, the major target, the achievement of a viable, functional and just solution to the Cyprus problem.
“For Greek foreign policy, this is an issue of top priority and is addressed by the Greek people as such,” she said.
“Greece and Cyprus must work on the effort for a solution, a solution that must be based on UN decisions and resolutions, the comprehensive efforts made all these years by successive UN Secretaries-general and taking into account the new European acquis communautaire. “This was the target and this target we will try to achieve with the best possible co-operation and in the best possible co-ordination.”
