Papadopulous: Veto Would Have Been Harmful

Papadopulous said in order to commence negotiations on October 3rd, Turkey must enlarge the Customs Union convention to include the ten new countries of the European Union (EU) and that if Turkey does not do so by October 2nd, they have documented that they intend to use their veto power to stop negotiations from being held. Papadopulous disclosed via radio and television that he was pleased in general about the results of the Brussels summit where Turkey as given a negotiation date. In response to criticism that he was unsuccessful at the summit, Papadopulous said they tried to get more but that under the current conditions, they got most of what was possible.

Papadopulous argued that Turkey was involved in the decision but not in the supplemental text of the Customs Union and said the decision had the same weight as other articles. He added, "Maybe the most important thing, for Turkey, is that an obligatory precondition for negotiations to start on October 3rd 2005 has been set. I want to stress that Turkey’s fight to avoid this decision indicates how important it is." As to why he did not veto Turkey, the Greek leader noted, "A veto would have given Turkey a new opportunity to make the results of the invasion and occupation in Cyprus more permanent."