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British Ambassador to Turkey: "Impossible to find a lasting solution to the Cyprus problem until 3rd October"
Turkish daily MILLIYET newspaper (03.02.05) reports that the British Ambassador to Ankara, Peter Westmacott has said that it is not possible to find a lasting solution to the Cyprus problem until the 3rd October, the day that accession talks will start between EU and Turkey.
Answering MILLIYET newspaper´s questions Ambassador Westmacott said that his country will take over the EU term presidency in July 2005 and during this period, "what we will try to do is to manage in such a way that issues regarding Cyprus and other potential problems not to preclude the 3rd October road".

Subtitle: Five files until 3rd October

The British Ambassador went on and said that there are five files that need solution and listed these five files as follows:

1. Screening process: Official screening will start on 3rd October.

2. Accession Partnership Document will be published.

3. Negotiation framework that needs approval of the 25.

4. Expansion of the 1963 Ankara agreement in such a way that it will include the 10 new EU members.

5. On top of these there is the complex problem of Cyprus.

Subtitle: Erdogan is right

Ambassador Westmacott further said that Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan was right in saying that `Turkey´s recognition of the Republic of Cyprus will be settled through a permanent solution in the island´. "The ideal is for the UN and the Secretary-General Kofi Annan to be involved in the process", he said.

Subtitle: Answer to Buyukanit

"In Turkey, there are people who say: `We should not make more concessions and we should not take more steps´. But there is a political reality: Greece and Cyprus are EU members, Turkey and Turkish Cypriots are out of it. And at the same time Turkey wants to become member of the EU, it is a candidate country. Turkey´s `one step ahead´ strategy applied last year was welcomed", Westmacott said.



http://www.hri.org/news/cyprus/tcpr/200 ... .tcpr.html