OPINION: CYPRUS ISSUE SHOULDN’T SPIKE TURKEY EU ACCESSION
Deutsche Welle, Germany
Oct 18 2006
Unless both Turkey and Cyprus jump over their shadows, Ankara can
forget any further accession talks with the EU, says DW’s Berndt
Riegert.
In the stand-off over Ankara’s recognition of the Greek-Cypriot
government in Nicosia, the EU has appealed to both sides to
compromise. On Monday, Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn warned
they may be facing what he called "the last window of opportunity
for several years" to make progress on the Cyprus issue.
Cyprus has threatened to block further negotiations if Turkey
refuses to open its ports to Cypriot ships as it does for traffic
from other EU countries. For its part, Turkey is pushing for an end
to the direct trade embargo on the Turkish part of Cyprus, a move
which Cyprus opposes.
Ultimately, its attitude is leading to an ever-widening gulf between
Brussels and the Ankara, and both parties will have to beware it
doesn’t become insurmountable by the end of the year.
If the accession talks with Turkey really do break down, it would mark
a considerable defeat for European foreign policy. The EU’s reputation
in Turkey would be badly shaken for the foreseeable future, and the
pressure on Ankara to introduce further democratic reforms would
be instantly off — and above all, the strategically sound goal of
bringing Turkey closer into the European fold would be put on the
back burner. Meanwhile, within the EU, the latent dispute between
Turkey’s supporters such as Britain and its critics such as France
would inevitably rise to the surface and even boil over.
The unresolved Cyprus question, which could precipitate a premature
end to Turkey’s accession talks, needs to be solved within the next
few weeks, before the Commission issues its next progress report on
Turkey’s candidacy in early November. But the failure of the talks
in Luxembourg Monday to make any headway suggests there’s more reason
than ever to doubt that a solution is in reach.
Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul insisted that Ankara will
only recognize Cyprus when the EU agrees to recognize the Turkish
Cypriot northern Cyprus. But the EU pointed out that Turkey has
already contractually agreed to opening itself up to Cypriot ships and
airplanes, thereby indirectly recognizing the Greek Cypriot government
which represents the divided island in the EU.
The Cypriot government is also digging its heels in by using its EU
veto to block the opening of any new "chapter" or policy area in
talks with Turkey. The EU inherited this problem when it admitted
Cyprus in 2004 even though the Greek Cypriot government in Nicosia
had rejected the UN’s reunification plan in April that year.
Hopefully, Olli Rehn’s plea that both sides start to compromise will
have resulted in more flexibility by December. Finland, which currently
holds the six-month EU presidency, has already fleshed out new ways
to postpone resolution until the elections in Turkey next year.
But Turkey is going to have to accept that the only way forward is
to recognize EU member Cyprus if it too wants to join the club.
There’s no point in the EU harping on about the Armenian question and
Turkey’s outrage at French lawmakers’ adoption of a bill which makes it
a crime to deny the Armenian genocide — the country’s failure to come
to terms with its past is no reason for the accession talks to break
down. Nor is it helpful to say Turkey is being given the run-around
by the EU, by constantly coming up with new entry conditions — which
is simply wrong. Admitting the Armenian genocide has never been a
condition of Turkey’s accession, but freedom of opinion and freedom
of the press have. And solving the Cyprus question most certainly has.
Equally undeniable is the fact that these trying, long-winded
negotiations are doing nothing to boost Turkey’s standing in
Brussels. It’s in everyone’s interests that Ankara and Nicosia jump
over their shadows if the 32-year-old Cyprus conflict is ever going
to end.