By Simon Bahceli
CLAIMS that French President Jacques Chirac sent a hand-written “note of support” to Cypriot President Tassos Papadopoulos telling him France would oppose the start of EU accession talks with Turkey if it did not fully recognise the Republic of Cyprus ahead of were categorically denied by the French Embassy in Cyprus yesterday.
“Our spokesman in Paris has confirmed there was no official letter,” a French Embassy official told the Cyprus Mail yesterday.
Reports of Chirac’s hand-written letter of support first appeared in the mainland Turkish and Greek Cypriot press earlier this week, provoking fury in Turkey and the Turkish Cypriot-controlled north of the island.
Yesterday, however, it appeared Chirac had not sent such a letter. Confusion, it seems, stemmed from a meeting that took place between Papadopoulos and the French Ambassador to Nicosia on August 4, during which Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin’s statements that it was inconceivable for Turkey not to recognise Cyprus Turkey and France’s stance on Turkey’s declaration that it would not do so were discussed. It was at that meeting that an “internal document” outlining French concerns over the declaration was handed to Papadopoulos.
Sources said the four paragraph document – an internal memo delivered to all embassies throughout the EU – was then leaked to the press and published as what appeared to be a message of support for the Cypriot government against Turkey’s non-recognition stance.
“What we told Papadopoulos was exactly the same as what Villepin said, and the memo was simply repetition of that,” the French Embassy official said.
He added, however, that while France held serious concerns over Turkey’s declaration, its position on the issue was by no means final and that the legality of the declaration would be discussed at a meeting of COREPER on August 24 and at subsequent meetings right up to October 3.
“The legal services at the European Council and Commission are looking at the declaration. What we said about it we felt had to be said, but our position is not final. We believe in the principle of dialogue,” the official said.
Other sources spoke yesterday of the French government seeking to pressure Cyprus into vetoing the start of Turkey’s accession negotiations due to start of October 3. The French Embassy strongly denied this, saying it had no intention of doing so and that it was merely stating its concerns over the declaration.
“We were asked by Papadopoulos how far we were willing to go politically [against Turkey’s declaration]. We said we didn’t know,” the official said, adding that he believed the Cyprus government would prefer to see accession negotiations with Turkey begin on October 3, as blocking their start could prove counter to Cypriot interests.
Rumours of Chirac’s letter were also scotched yesterday by the Turkish Ambassador to Paris, Uluc Ozulker, who said confusion arose after contacts between the Cypriot presidency and the French Embassy in Cyprus.
“There was no letter from Chirac to Papadopoulos. This issue arose after Villepin’s comments last week on Europe 1 Radio. The French Embassy Chargé d’affaires wrote to Papadopoulos to inform him of Villepin’s statements after a request by Papadopoulos for a clarification of France’s stance. The letter was a repetition of Villepin’s statement,” Ozulker told reporters. He added that if such a letter had been sent, it would have been a highly unorthodox way of conducting diplomatic business.
So now they deny it now, and then they allege this, is it true i wonder
“We were asked by Papadopoulos how far we were willing to go politically [against Turkey’s declaration]. We said we didn’t know,” the official said,
So tassos is looking to see what others will do and then act or what.
