An article in the Cyprus Mail reports that Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan’s tough rhetoric during his visit to the north of Cyprus has raised eyebrows among some European politicians, with one senior German official calling for the EU to cut off accession negotiations with Turkey.
According to Deutche Welle, who is secretary general of Bavaria’s Christian Social Union, which opposes Turkey’s full accession to the EU, said anyone who would stop talking to the EU has no business seeking membership in the bloc.
“The EU cannot continue to tolerate Erdogan's threats and attempts at blackmail,” Dobrindt was quoted saying. “Once again, Erdogan is insulting an EU member, and the only response to that can be to definitively break off accession talks with Turkey,” he added.
Erdogan during his visit to mark the 37th anniversary of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, where he threatened to freeze relations with the EU when Cyprus took over the EU Presidency in July 2012. Reports suggest Ankara is playing hardball on the Cyprus issue but would not go so far as stopping trade with the EU, its largest trading partner, or direct talks with the Commission.
British MEP Liberal Andrew Duff also released a statement on Erdogan’s comments saying he was appalled at the latest twist in Turkey’s policy towards Cyprus and the EU.
Duff said: “Mr Erdogan and (Foreign Minister) Mr (Ahmet) Davutoglu have missed another great opportunity to reconcile the two Cypriot communities and, by doing so, to resurrect the prospect of Turkish membership of the European Union.
“Not only does the Turkish government cling to outmoded hostile rhetoric but it raises an entirely new obstacle to improving relations with the EU,” he added.
He flagged as a red herring Erdogan’s effort to put July 2012 as a deadline for Cyprus peace talks. “The idea of another referendum on the island next year in advance of the Cypriot EU presidency is ridiculous false trail in the absence of a genuine deal between Christofias and Eroglu, the leaders of the two communities, backed by Turkey and the whole international community. 2012 is a false timetable.
“The reality is that the Cypriot problem is and will remain intractable in the absence of outside involvement. Unless Turkey trusts the EU to help reach a settlement there will be no settlement. The good offices of the UN will not be enough, and they are, in any case, almost exhausted,” he said.
Duff, who had high level talks on both sides of the island recently and who is a member of the EU-Turkey Joint Parliamentary Committee, added: “Instead of moving on from the failed Annan Plan of 2004, the Turks have actually gone backwards – thereby putting themselves alongside the reactionary nationalism of the Greek Cypriot Church.”
According to Duff, Erdogan should have taken the opportunity to express sympathy with the current plight of the Greek Cypriots and Greece, meet with pro-peace activists, and even propose the establishment of a genuine process of truth and reconciliation.
“He could have sunk his enormous pride and arranged meetings directly with President Christofias,” he said.
Instead of preparing the Turkish public for a federal Cyprus and the normalisation of relations with all EU member states, “he sounds increasingly like the worst of the ultra-Kemalists”.
Duff concluded: “By offering Turkey only the crude choice between ‘the EU or Cyprus’, he is likely to end up with neither.”
Meanwhile Cyprus has launched a complaint to the UN Secretary-General, the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and the EU regarding the Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan’s statements.
A meeting of the Cyprus National Council, which met today to discuss the results of the Geneva meeting, unanimously condemned the statements which it considers to jeopardise the ongoing bicommunal dialogue.
Friday 22 July 2011
Wednesday 20 July 2011
Erdogan: window of opportunity will not remain open forever
According to Bayrak television, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that Turkey wishes the peace environment in Cyprus to pave the way for peace, development and cooperation in a region much broader than the island.
Speaking today in northern Nicosia, at a ceremony on the occasion of the anniversary of the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus, Erdogan said that the existing window of opportunity will not remain open forever. “We sincerely believe in the objective of the solution. However, we should not forget that the knife has reached the bone. The current negotiation process, which has exceeded three years with its preparatory period, has come to its final stage”, he said and called on “the other interested parties to support peace and take steps in this direction”.
“There is absolutely no doubt now that the solution within the UN parameters will be found in accordance to the agreements of the leaders in their joint statements during the current negotiation process. The new partnership within this framework will be a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation based on political equality as described in the relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council. In parallel to a federal government with a single international identity, this partnership will have a Founding Turkish Cypriot State and a Founding Greek Cypriot State.”
Erdogan reiterated that an agreement should be reached by the end of the year and a referendum should be held before July 2012, so that the “new partnership
In statements in Ankara yesterday before coming to Cyprus, Erdogan told journalists that the Cyprus problem had entered a new stage and that the Turkish side is not at the point it was in 2004 during the Annan Plan. Varosha, he said, is not on the agenda of the Turkish side, nor will they turn Morphou into a bargaining issue or withdraw any troops from the island. “The conditions of the Burgenstock period no longer exist. The giving period has ended. Giving Morphou is not on my books. We gave it in 2004 and they did not want it”, he said. He added that the Greek Cypriots had lost their chance by not accepting the Annan Plan in 2004 and should not expect him to withdraw any troops from the island.
Erdogan described the transfer of electricity to the south as a “very human” act. He said that they will use this human approach in the international field and they will explain this wherever they go to show the world the good intentions of the Turkish Cypriot side. He said that the danger exists for the negotiations to come to a dead-end, that time is running out and that they expect the Greek Cypriots to take a step. He said the Cyprus problem is approaching its end and they have other alternatives if necessary.
Moreover, an article in Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily on the occasion of Erdogan’s says the north has been decked out in an unprecedentedly lavish fashion for the visit, which is his first since a crisis erupted earlier this year over angry anti-Turkey placards carried by protesters demonstrating against new austerity measures.
The article says that the austerity package has, however, started to help improve the Turkish Cypriot economy. At a time when the Greek side of the island has started experiencing serious economic difficulties, northern Cyprus expects a 5% increase this year in budget revenues, a 15% boost in tourism revenues and annual growth of around 5 - 6% -- a marked improvement over the negative growth rates seen during the past few years.
The key goal of Erdogan’s trip, the article says, is to reassure the Turkish Cypriots of Turkey’s continued support. The visit will also be a message to Greek Cyprus at a time when hopes are building globally that the divided eastern Mediterranean island might be edging toward a resolution by the end of this year.Moreover Turkey has begun to construct a deep-water pipeline to pump some 75 million cubic meters of fresh water a year to northern Cyprus, a project slated to be completed by March 2014. Lately, however, it has started to hint that perhaps instead of one pipeline it might lay down a twin pipeline and double the amount of water provided to the island, and that perhaps the Greek side would also be interested in obtaining water from Turkey.
Meanwhile the leaders of the two communities met yesterday and discussed the programme of meetings they would have in the wake of the Geneva summit.
“We at the United Nations look forward to this period being a very constructive period of negotiations”, the UN S-G’s Special Adviser Alexander Downer told the press.
He said the leaders will have a total of 19 twice weekly all-day intensive meetings beginning from next week 25 July through to 21 October, with a break from 7 – 21 August and another in the third week of September for the UN General Assembly.
Mr Downer expressed the UN’s pleasure at the arrangement whereby the Turkish Cypriots would provide electricity to the Greek Cypriots after the disaster at Mari, adding: “We hope that people in Cyprus overall understand the positive message that that particular initiative sends”, he said.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu said “we have agreed to hold meetings twice a week and concentrate on how we can reach convergences on core issues”. He added that just as the UN Secretary-General had noted in his report, the issue of maps will be the last subject to be discussed.
President Christofias, on his return to the Presidential Palace, said that both the United Nations and Mr Eroglu had expressed their condolences for the victims of the tragedy in Mari and there was also an exchange of views about the electricity supply.
“The procedure followed did not involve any ‘official’ sides, but I conveyed my appreciation for the fact that the Turkish Cypriots were willing to provide electricity at a time of great difficulty without demanding any direct or indirect recognition of ‘authorities’” he added.
Commenting on Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan’s statements on Cyprus he described them as absolutely condemnable, adding that he feels that the United Nations are also offended by these references because the UN wish for genuine progress during the talks.
“If this is the line that the Turkish side will follow there will be no prospect for any progress”, he added.
Speaking today in northern Nicosia, at a ceremony on the occasion of the anniversary of the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus, Erdogan said that the existing window of opportunity will not remain open forever. “We sincerely believe in the objective of the solution. However, we should not forget that the knife has reached the bone. The current negotiation process, which has exceeded three years with its preparatory period, has come to its final stage”, he said and called on “the other interested parties to support peace and take steps in this direction”.
“There is absolutely no doubt now that the solution within the UN parameters will be found in accordance to the agreements of the leaders in their joint statements during the current negotiation process. The new partnership within this framework will be a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation based on political equality as described in the relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council. In parallel to a federal government with a single international identity, this partnership will have a Founding Turkish Cypriot State and a Founding Greek Cypriot State.”
Erdogan reiterated that an agreement should be reached by the end of the year and a referendum should be held before July 2012, so that the “new partnership
In statements in Ankara yesterday before coming to Cyprus, Erdogan told journalists that the Cyprus problem had entered a new stage and that the Turkish side is not at the point it was in 2004 during the Annan Plan. Varosha, he said, is not on the agenda of the Turkish side, nor will they turn Morphou into a bargaining issue or withdraw any troops from the island. “The conditions of the Burgenstock period no longer exist. The giving period has ended. Giving Morphou is not on my books. We gave it in 2004 and they did not want it”, he said. He added that the Greek Cypriots had lost their chance by not accepting the Annan Plan in 2004 and should not expect him to withdraw any troops from the island.
Erdogan described the transfer of electricity to the south as a “very human” act. He said that they will use this human approach in the international field and they will explain this wherever they go to show the world the good intentions of the Turkish Cypriot side. He said that the danger exists for the negotiations to come to a dead-end, that time is running out and that they expect the Greek Cypriots to take a step. He said the Cyprus problem is approaching its end and they have other alternatives if necessary.
Moreover, an article in Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily on the occasion of Erdogan’s says the north has been decked out in an unprecedentedly lavish fashion for the visit, which is his first since a crisis erupted earlier this year over angry anti-Turkey placards carried by protesters demonstrating against new austerity measures.
The article says that the austerity package has, however, started to help improve the Turkish Cypriot economy. At a time when the Greek side of the island has started experiencing serious economic difficulties, northern Cyprus expects a 5% increase this year in budget revenues, a 15% boost in tourism revenues and annual growth of around 5 - 6% -- a marked improvement over the negative growth rates seen during the past few years.
The key goal of Erdogan’s trip, the article says, is to reassure the Turkish Cypriots of Turkey’s continued support. The visit will also be a message to Greek Cyprus at a time when hopes are building globally that the divided eastern Mediterranean island might be edging toward a resolution by the end of this year.Moreover Turkey has begun to construct a deep-water pipeline to pump some 75 million cubic meters of fresh water a year to northern Cyprus, a project slated to be completed by March 2014. Lately, however, it has started to hint that perhaps instead of one pipeline it might lay down a twin pipeline and double the amount of water provided to the island, and that perhaps the Greek side would also be interested in obtaining water from Turkey.
Meanwhile the leaders of the two communities met yesterday and discussed the programme of meetings they would have in the wake of the Geneva summit.
“We at the United Nations look forward to this period being a very constructive period of negotiations”, the UN S-G’s Special Adviser Alexander Downer told the press.
He said the leaders will have a total of 19 twice weekly all-day intensive meetings beginning from next week 25 July through to 21 October, with a break from 7 – 21 August and another in the third week of September for the UN General Assembly.
Mr Downer expressed the UN’s pleasure at the arrangement whereby the Turkish Cypriots would provide electricity to the Greek Cypriots after the disaster at Mari, adding: “We hope that people in Cyprus overall understand the positive message that that particular initiative sends”, he said.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu said “we have agreed to hold meetings twice a week and concentrate on how we can reach convergences on core issues”. He added that just as the UN Secretary-General had noted in his report, the issue of maps will be the last subject to be discussed.
President Christofias, on his return to the Presidential Palace, said that both the United Nations and Mr Eroglu had expressed their condolences for the victims of the tragedy in Mari and there was also an exchange of views about the electricity supply.
“The procedure followed did not involve any ‘official’ sides, but I conveyed my appreciation for the fact that the Turkish Cypriots were willing to provide electricity at a time of great difficulty without demanding any direct or indirect recognition of ‘authorities’” he added.
Commenting on Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan’s statements on Cyprus he described them as absolutely condemnable, adding that he feels that the United Nations are also offended by these references because the UN wish for genuine progress during the talks.
“If this is the line that the Turkish side will follow there will be no prospect for any progress”, he added.
Saturday 9 July 2011
October deadline for Cyprus talks
The leaders of the two communities in Cyprus, Demetris Christofias and Dervis Eroglu, agreed at their third meeting with the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, in Geneva on Thursday 7 July to enter into an intensive period of negotiations on the core issues of the Cyprus problem with the aim of reaching convergence on all core issues by October.
Speaking afterwards the Secretary-General said that he has every expectation that by then the leaders will be able to report that they have reached convergence on all core issues, and they will meet with him again that month in New York.
“This will take the Cyprus negotiations close to their conclusion and would allow me to give a positive report to the Security Council on the matter. It would also pave the way for me to work with the parties towards convening a final, international conference,” he added.
The UN chief noted that “progress has been far too slow” since he last met with the two leaders last January in Geneva, an opinion shared by his special adviser Alexander Downer, who was quoted on the eve of the meeting saying the last three months of talks were the “worst” since they began in September 2008.
Ban highlighted that “some important areas have remained untouched” in the negotiations. On this point, yesterday’s four-hour meeting proved “useful and productive” and that some of the difficulties standing in the way of reaching a comprehensive agreement had been identified. Both leaders made it clear that they are aiming to reach a comprehensive solution as soon as possible.
He also said that while he agrees that the negotiations must be Cypriot-led and Cypriot-owned, he is prepared to offer an enhanced United Nations involvement without prejudice to this central principle. Both leaders have accepted his offer.
In conclusion Ban noted that both sides had agreed “they must begin to build support for a comprehensive agreement”. The fact that neither has started to do so has led the public on both sides to become “weary”, he added.
“Both leaders must renew hope and enthusiasm for a solution. They have acknowledged the need to begin to prepare their respective communities for the compromises required for a settlement and the prospect of living together in a united Cyprus,” he ended.
The Cyprus Mail says that in effect, the UN team has laid out a timetable for the talks to reach their conclusion, with the obvious milestone being Cyprus’ EU Presidency starting in July 2012, by which point, the talks will either be dead and buried or have led to separate referenda in the two communities.
The agreement to an informal timetable, “enhanced” UN role and calling of a final international conference will likely cause many a headache for Christofias who has consistently based his negotiations policy on a refusal to accept “suffocating timeframes” or “arbitration”, the paper says, while Eroglu and the powerful Turkish diplomatic machinery have run a steady campaign for the UN to impose a final deadline in the talks.
All the citizens of Cyprus and the European Union as a whole will benefit from a united Cyprus, the President of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, said before the Geneva meeting between the two leaders in Cyprus and the UN Secretary-General.
He added that they can count on the strong support of the European Commission and called on both leaders to intensify the negotiations and to rapidly take the next steps towards a settlement.
“A mutually agreed settlement will be the basis for the long expected reunification of the country and end one of the oldest conflicts on European soil”, he said. "More than seven years after Cyprus' accession to the European Union a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus problem is overdue”.
In order to achieve this goal, he said, a breakthrough in the talks is necessary and expressed confidence in the political will of the leaders of the two communities in making all the necessary efforts to progress towards a satisfactory final solution.
Speaking afterwards the Secretary-General said that he has every expectation that by then the leaders will be able to report that they have reached convergence on all core issues, and they will meet with him again that month in New York.
“This will take the Cyprus negotiations close to their conclusion and would allow me to give a positive report to the Security Council on the matter. It would also pave the way for me to work with the parties towards convening a final, international conference,” he added.
The UN chief noted that “progress has been far too slow” since he last met with the two leaders last January in Geneva, an opinion shared by his special adviser Alexander Downer, who was quoted on the eve of the meeting saying the last three months of talks were the “worst” since they began in September 2008.
Ban highlighted that “some important areas have remained untouched” in the negotiations. On this point, yesterday’s four-hour meeting proved “useful and productive” and that some of the difficulties standing in the way of reaching a comprehensive agreement had been identified. Both leaders made it clear that they are aiming to reach a comprehensive solution as soon as possible.
He also said that while he agrees that the negotiations must be Cypriot-led and Cypriot-owned, he is prepared to offer an enhanced United Nations involvement without prejudice to this central principle. Both leaders have accepted his offer.
In conclusion Ban noted that both sides had agreed “they must begin to build support for a comprehensive agreement”. The fact that neither has started to do so has led the public on both sides to become “weary”, he added.
“Both leaders must renew hope and enthusiasm for a solution. They have acknowledged the need to begin to prepare their respective communities for the compromises required for a settlement and the prospect of living together in a united Cyprus,” he ended.
The Cyprus Mail says that in effect, the UN team has laid out a timetable for the talks to reach their conclusion, with the obvious milestone being Cyprus’ EU Presidency starting in July 2012, by which point, the talks will either be dead and buried or have led to separate referenda in the two communities.
The agreement to an informal timetable, “enhanced” UN role and calling of a final international conference will likely cause many a headache for Christofias who has consistently based his negotiations policy on a refusal to accept “suffocating timeframes” or “arbitration”, the paper says, while Eroglu and the powerful Turkish diplomatic machinery have run a steady campaign for the UN to impose a final deadline in the talks.
All the citizens of Cyprus and the European Union as a whole will benefit from a united Cyprus, the President of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, said before the Geneva meeting between the two leaders in Cyprus and the UN Secretary-General.
He added that they can count on the strong support of the European Commission and called on both leaders to intensify the negotiations and to rapidly take the next steps towards a settlement.
“A mutually agreed settlement will be the basis for the long expected reunification of the country and end one of the oldest conflicts on European soil”, he said. "More than seven years after Cyprus' accession to the European Union a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus problem is overdue”.
In order to achieve this goal, he said, a breakthrough in the talks is necessary and expressed confidence in the political will of the leaders of the two communities in making all the necessary efforts to progress towards a satisfactory final solution.
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