Papadopoulos says Turkey will be forced to concede

Turkey, an EU candidate since 1999, is awaiting a decision from EU leaders at a Dec. 17 summit to open long-delayed accession talks. The Greek Cypriots, who joined the EU on May 1 as the representative of the entire island, have said they would consider whether to veto the opening of talks but that a decision would not be announced until the last minute.

Papadopoulos, in remarks at a Greens meeting, said a number of EU states supported the Greek Cypriot position on both the recognition and troop withdrawal issues and claimed that Turkey at some point would be obliged to concede.

"This is a view supported by a number of heads of states and governments," he said. He also said his government would work toward the withdrawal of Turkish troops before Dec. 17, "as fervently as we can."

"And I believe that this is Turkey’s obligation towards the EU and Cyprus," he said.

"It is one of the issues that we must evaluate, with due seriousness when the time comes for us to make a decision," he added, referring to whether or not he would veto Turkey’s accession talks on Dec. 17.

Turkish Cypriots voted for reunification of their island on the basis of a U.N. plan in an April 24 referendum but the plan failed because the Greek Cypriots rejected it. The EU pledged to support the Turkish Cypriots and ease their economic isolation as reward for their "yes" vote for the plan and praised the Turkish government for its efforts for the success of reunification.

Papadopoulos said he did not see why Turkey should obtain more advantages because the Turkish Cypriots said "yes" in the April referendum, arguing that it was natural for Ankara to support the plan because it served most of Turkey’s demands.

He also dismissed claims that Greek Cypriot policies were isolating the Turkish Cypriots and said instead that the policies pursued by Turkey were not helping in the improvement of the economic conditions of Turkish Cypriots.

Papadopoulos ready to talk to Turkish Cypriots
Papadopoulos has said he was ready to re-negotiate the failed U.N. plan but only after certain changes were made to it.

On Monday, a spokesman for the Greek Cypriot government said Papadopoulos was ready to meet a representative of the Turkish Cypriots as part of his efforts to reach a settlement formula.

"An unofficial meeting between Papadopoulos and [Turkish Cypriot Prime Minister] Mehmet Ali Talat or any other representative of the Turkish Cypriot community is not out of the question," spokesman Kypros Chrisostomidis told reporters.

Talat’s government resigned last month but is remaining in office until a new government is formed.

He also announced that a special committee had been created to study different aspects of the beginning of accession talks between Turkey and the EU.