U.S. PRESIDENT Bill Clinton said yesterday a resolution of the Cyprus issue would be a good place to start towards reconciliation between Greece and Turkey.
He also urged the two Nato countries to take their differences over the Aegean Sea to the International Court of Justice in the Hague.
Clinton was speaking after meeting Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis on a short stopover in Athens which was marked by violent anti-American demonstrations Clinton said he regretted.
During a joint news conference with Simitis, Clinton said it was unlikely that Turkey could enter the EU before its dispute with Greece over Cyprus is resolved.
“These two countries need to go hand in hand into the future, and the festering disputes have to be resolved in order for that to happen,” he said.
He repeated Washington’s wish for Turkey to strengthen its relations with the EU. The more these relations are strengthened the easier a Cyprus solution will become, he said.
Clinton said he had told the Turks on his recent visit there this week that solving the Cyprus problem was key to the region’s prospects.
“(The) more Turkey is integrated into Europe… the more the climate improves, the more you can resolve these issues, the brighter the future for both countries will be,” he said.
“I told the Turks… I do not think this bright future is achievable until there is a resolution of the Cyprus issue.”
The US President said he was the most vocal supporter of finding a solution to the problem and that he would continue to be so.
President Glafcos Clerides revealed in Istanbul on Friday that the US has a detailed road map for a solution which will be given to the two sides by UN Secretary-general Kofi Annan during next month’s New York proximity talks.
Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash, who was also in Istanbul, said the same day that he was unaware of any such scenario, and he doubted that any third-party plan would be of use. Both men held separate meetings with Annan, Clerides on the sidelines of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) summit.
On his return to the occupied areas on Friday night, Denktash told reporters Clerides attitude at the summit had been “disappointing” ahead of the New York talks.
“Clerides attitude was disappointing, even for those who had been expecting good news from New York,” he said but did not clarify what comments he was referring to.
“The situation is not such that we can just sit down in New York and solve the Cyprus problem. If a path can be opened and the ground established for face-to-face talks naturally the discussions will be transferred to Cyprus.”
Clinton said the upcoming proximity talks between the two sides, beginning on December 3 under UN auspices, were the result of efforts by the US. The goal is for grounds to be set for a final solution with talks focusing on the central issues which are the essence of the problem.
Simitis said he and Clinton both agreed that the upcoming talks on Cyprus should include the main issues and lead to a solution.
Referring to Greco-Turkish relations, Clinton essentially sided with the Greek argument in calling for the Hague to settle the dispute between Greece and Turkey over sovereignty of various islands in the Aegean Sea.
Turkey has rejected calls for international arbitration and instead wants direct talks with Greece.
“It seems to me the only way that either side can have a resolution of this without appearing to cave in (is to) let a neutral party, respected, decide it,” Clinton said.
He said he regretted the damage caused by the violent anti-American demonstrations on his arrival, but that he would not allow it to damage US-Greek relations.
“I think that we have to, especially in Greece, reaffirm the right of people to protest in a democracy,” he said.
“I strongly believe that protests should be peaceful, and therefore I deeply regret the Greeks who had their property injured and who suffered losses through these demonstrations,” he said.
Clinton said the protests would not be allowed to change “our affection for and support for the people of Greece and the government of Greece”.
Simitis, whose government provided a tight veil of security around Clinton for his visit of less than 24 hours, also said relations would not be altered by the violence. The visit, he said, “constitutes a guarantee for the future”.
“I’m sorry for the fact that certain people did not observe and respect the fundamental principle of law, the fundamental principle that allows our state to operate,” he said.
Protesters rampaged through Athens on Friday night, torching businesses and banks and portraying Clinton as the Butcher of the Balkans for his role in leading the Nato air war against Yugoslavia. Greeks also still resent American support for the rightist military regime that ruled the country from 1967 to 1974.
Athens was quiet yesterday, but about 1,000 protesters shouted slogans such as “American killers go home” in front of the US consulate in Salonica.
