Cyprus back on the agenda

Greek Cypriot leader Tassos Papadopoulos has 15 different demands. He wants the EU to list at least some of them.

Most probably the EU will mention some of these to quieten him down. It may also include some articles that will address the concerns of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC).

What is clear, however, is the fact that the Cyprus issue will be back on the agenda with the start of membership negotiations. No one can be in any doubt about that.

While the exact timing is not clear, we should all be certain that Greek Cypriots will be constantly reminding the EU about their demands. From time to time they will threaten to suspend the negotiations. They will blackmail the EU. Those in the EU who want to delay our membership will support Papadopoulos.

Turkey will try to make small gestures to overcome these pressures, but the Greek Cypriots will increase their demands every time. One will be to withdraw some troops and the next will be to withdraw some more.

Everything will eventually lead to a round of negotiations.

The Annan plan, though its name may change, will still be on the table.

The Turkish side will fight against any change to the document, while the Greek Cypriots will concentrate on any such changes. These negotiations will continue until Turkey’s membership is resolved and Turkey becomes a full member.

In other words, the matter is far from over, in fact, the real fight start now.

We need to be prepared and play a good game.

Stability in Iraq important for Turkey
I was with the most famous Middle East experts in London. They discussed what could happen after Fallujah. They assessed the risks taken by the United States and its effects on the regional states.

Their discussions were not that encouraging.

They all agreed that instability in Iraq would greatly affect Turkey.

The Americans committed so many mistakes while trying to get rid of Saddam Husein that today they are faced with a disaster. The short-term outlook is not positive at all. Even if the elections are held in January, the resistance movement is not expected to die down. The worst case scenario is Iraq’s division into three parts or the start of a civil war.

The instability in Iraq may lead some regional movements and organizations trying to use Turkey in their own wars. That’s why experts said, "Pray that the United States establishes stability in Iraq."

Why do we get upset about movies?
Steven Seagal is in a lousy movie called "Out of Reach."

In Poland, an organization led by Turks kidnap 16-year-old girls from dormitories and sell them at auction. Seagal is the hero who fights against this group.

Our media is up in arms because of the movie.

We are close to blaming the Foreign Ministry for allowing it to happen. We may call for a boycott of the movie.

I don’t understand why we get so angry about such movies. He found a lousy subject and filmed a lousy movie. What should we do — issue diplomatic protests?

We should instead support movies that favor Turks and Turkey.

If protesting against such movies had produced something tangible, Germans would be in the streets every other day. There is no need to get upset or angry about such movies.