Cyprus Cannot Be A Condition For Turkey

The EU Commission displayed an attitude on Cyprus that had contradictions in itself. The conclusion and recommendations section of the report included the statement on page 20 that, “Stalemate in Cyprus may constitute an obstacle to Turkey’s expectations regarding EU membership,” and the Commission did not change the expression in spite of the intense diplomacy traffic between Brussels and Ankara on Wednesday. On the other hand, the 16th page of the report said that the Cyprus issue was not a precondition and not included in the Copenhagen Criteria. The Commission stated that the Cyprus issue was tackled between EU and Turkey within the framework of a “extended political dialogue.”

The diplomacy traffic between Ankara and Brussels, which started following the publication of the Strategy Account by press on Wednesday, caused discussions in the meeting of the EU Commissaries. Some Commission members said that the expression that unsettlement in Cyprus might cause severe obstacles for Turkey’s membership had been publicized by Turkish media and that at that point they could not take any step backward. A high-ranking official of the EU Commission said that such publication narrowed their room for manoeuvre.

United Cyprus
The EU Commission did not modify the Progress Report that has been publicized by press for days and the report was announced on Wednesday noon. However the Strategy Account, which is an extension of the report, was publicized in the afternoon because of the expectations of Ankara and controversies on whether or not to change the statements pertaining to Cyprus. At the end, the published report included the Cyprus clause. The Commission stated that the EU Council had repeatedly underlined that it favored a united Cyprus and stressed that there was still a positive climate so as to find a solution to the issue prior to May 2004. The Commission called on Turkey and Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) to seek a solution in line with the offers of the UN Secretary General.

Verheugen: Not A Condition, Rather An Assessment Of Situation
EU Commissioner Gunther Verheugen said that the paragraph on Cyprus in the Progress Report was not a precondition for Turkey, rather it was a kind of situation assessment. Verheugen underlined that the fact that Cyprus issue was not a precondition was accepted in the Helsinki Summit in 1999. In his address to the European Parliament, Verheugen praised the effort of the Turkish government to fulfill the Copenhagen Criteria, however he said that there were still some flaws. According to Verheugen, the reaction of Ankara to the clause of Cyprus was a surprise, he said; We felt the need to give an emergency message to Turkey. And we assessed that a non-solution in Cyprus may be an obstacle for Turkey’s membership process. We expect from all the parties to spend effort. Turkey cannot be the sole responsible country.

Denktas: They Ignore Rights Of Turkey
Regarding the Cyprus clause in the Progress Report, Turkish Cypriot President Rauf Denktas said, “If EU is sincere in making Turkey a part of EU, it should not put forward the Cyprus issue over and over again.” Denktas said that they were not against a compromise and that they were ready for any kind of negotiation as long as the rights of Turkey were protected and two equal societies in the island were recognized. Denktas said, “They try to get Cyprus by ignoring the rights of Turkey. Through the Annan Plan they want to eliminate the rights of Turkey.”