It’s high time for the EU and others to lift the embargo

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the prime minister who has been the leading Turkish advocate of a settlement on Cyprus, is expected to reveal his views when he visits northern Cyprus tomorrow.

But Mr Gul said the Turkish Cypriots had made a "courageous" start last month by lifting restrictions on the freedom of movement between the north and the Greek Cypriot-controlled south. "What we did not achieve on paper, through negotiation, was achieved on the ground," he said.

The Greek Cypriots, who constitute the island’s only recognised government, last week eased the international embargo by lifting a ban on Turkish Cypriot exports to both the south and the EU. The sanctions, initiated by Greece via the EU after the TRNC was founded in 1983, still range from a ban on international flights to visits by Turkish soccer teams.

The latest rapprochement has enabled Turkey to regain some credibility after it failed in March to approve a United Nations plan to reunite the island as a single country consisting of two "component" states.

Rauf Denktash, the Turkish Cypriot leader, blackballed the plan with the support of Turkey’s generals, president, opposition and even elements of the ruling Justice and Development party.

Western officials say it would be in Turkey’s interest if Mr Erdogan were to quickly announce his desire to resume talks on the UN plan. This would at least force Tassos Papadopoulos, the recently-elected Greek Cypriot president, to clarify his own ambivalent stance on the proposed settlement after the Turkish rejection of the plan strengthened his position by making the Greek Cypriots the sole signatories of an EU accession treaty last month.

Mr Gul suggested, however, that Ankara was in no hurry to resume talks on the UN plan precisely because it could not afford a new failure. "This time we should not fail at the table."

Most foreign and Turkish analysts agree a settlement on Cyprus would greatly boost Turkey’s own bid for EU membership.

Mr Gul sounded more confident about overcoming the other big challenge on Turkey’s path to the EU: implementing human rights reforms by the time EU leaders decide, at the end of 2004, whether to start accession talks with Ankara.

In his role as deputy prime minister responsible for human rights he chairs tomorrow a meeting of a consultative committee – involving officials and non-governmental organisations – to follow up progress. "I’m emphasising that passing legislation is important but implementing it is more important," said Mr Gul. "If we see any problems, we intervene immediately."

He also acknowledged that implementation of new laws meeting the EU’s political criteria faced resistance within sections of the bureaucracy, judiciary and security forces. For this reason, he argued that the government would work on retraining people and, if necessary, "punish" officials who failed to comply.

Public sector reform devolving power to local authorities would also help deliver changes, which, according to Mr Gul, were also supported by ordinary Turks.

Turning to delicate relations with the US, the minister deflected criticism of Turkey’s failure in March to approve the deployment of US troops for war against Iraq. Paul Wolfowitz, deputy US defence secretary, on Tuesday suggested Turkey should recognise it had made a mistake in not helping the US free Iraq of Saddam Hussein. Mr Gul countered that Turkey had given the US many other forms of support both before and during the war.

This included a decision not to send troops to northern Iraq in spite of calls by some generals and the parliamentary opposition for unilateral Turkish action.

Sharing Mr Wolfowitz’s stress on future co-operation between the two allies, Mr Gul said he was confident the toppling of the Saddam regime would produce a government that was democratic and representative of all Iraqis.