Cyprus-Forum.com

[Hermes]

Looks like Erdogan's outburst has blown up in his face.

Turkey 'has blown it'

The idea of holding referenda in the Greek-Cypriot and Turkish-cypriot communities of Cyprus, to achieve a solution of the Cyprus issue, ahead of Cyprus’ EU Presidency, in July 2012, is a false timetable, British MEP Andrew Duff said in a statement .

According to a press release, following the Turkish Prime Minister, Recep Tayip Erdogan’s visit to the Turkish occupied areas of Cyprus, Duff said that “Mr. Erdogan and Mr. 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.

Noting that Cyprus will take the chair of the EU Council in July next year, British MEP, added that “the Cyprus government will be obliged to represent the views even of those governments which favour Turkish accession to the EU. Instead of using this opportunity to progress their case for membership, the Turkish leadership has blown it”.

“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” he underlined.

According to Andrew Duff “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”.

Andrew 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”.

In his statement Andrea Duff noted that during his visit to the Turkish occupied areas of Cyprus, Turkish Prime Minister should have expressed sympathy with the current plight of the Greek Cypriots, arrange meetings directly with President of Cyprus, Demetris Christofias and propose the establishment of a genuine process of truth and reconciliation. Back in Turkey, Erdogan “should have begun by now the long process of preparing Turkish public opinion to back a bizonal, bicommunal federal Cyprus and the normalisation of relations with all the member states of the European Union which he purports to want to join” Duff said.

''In the light of this setback, one must now question whether the AKP leadership is or has ever been truly committed to a European vocation for Turkey”, he pointed out.

http://www.cyprusweekly.com.cy/main/92, ... YPRUS.aspx

[Nikitas]

European are being deliberately obtuse on this. Obviously Turkey does not want to join the EU. The reasons are clear:

If it does join it will have to abolish all the props to its exporters which lead to a subsidy driven growth.

It will have to accept the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice with no reservations.

It will have to sign the Law of the Sea convention.

It will have to implement the EU aquis with all its rules about human rights which will give the Kurdish problem a whole new dimension.

Turkey is happy using the parts of international law which suit it and reject the ones that do not. As a member of the EU there is no such eclectic luxury. No wonder Erdo is looking for ways to evade and avoid EU membership but tries to put on a nationalist "patriotic" face on it.

[insan]

European are being deliberately obtuse on this. Obviously Turkey does not want to join the EU. The reasons are clear:

If it does join it will have to abolish all the props to its exporters which lead to a subsidy driven growth.

It will have to accept the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice with no reservations.

It will have to sign the Law of the Sea convention.

It will have to implement the EU aquis with all its rules about human rights which will give the Kurdish problem a whole new dimension.

Turkey is happy using the parts of international law which suit it and reject the ones that do not. As a member of the EU there is no such eclectic luxury. No wonder Erdo is looking for ways to evade and avoid EU membership but tries to put on a nationalist "patriotic" face on it.

... as if dominant European political groups want Turkey in Europe and Turkey rejects it... lol How about the EU member NATO countries which also r happy using the parts of international law which suits them and reject the ones that do not? That's another story u say I'm sure. ;]

[jahitty]

its easy ignoring turkeys violations by stating double standards of other EU nations, two wrongs dont make a right, as a cypriot i focus on the role Turkey has been playing in the occupied areas because they are the ones who wield the most power in my country! Just because one EU nation has double standards doesnt mean we should turn a blind eye to our so called 'saviour'.

[B25]

Bravo re Jahitty, well said!

[Hermes]

Further analysis on how Erdogan's comments have exposed contradictions in Turkey's policies on Cyprus:

"The contradictions of the new Cyprus policy"

Under the title: "The contradictions of the new Cyprus policy", Turkish daily Cumhuriyet (22.07.11) publishes a commentary by Utku Cakirozer who hosts statements by Faruk Logoglu, foreign policy advisor to CHP leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu and MP in Adana.

Cakirozer in the beginning of his article refers on Erdogan statements prior and during his visit to the "TRNC" and on how the main opposition party CHP evaluated Erdogan's statements. Cakirozer writes that Kilicdaroglu statement was a short support to Erdogan; however it presents Logoglu's view on the new policy on the Cyprus problem which is followed by Ankara who points out that there are a lot of contradictions and worrying points in this new policy.

Cakirozer writes that according to Logoglu, the main contradictions in the new policy by Turkey towards Cyprus and the EU are the following:

1. "The EU, during the summit in Dublin in 1990 established a direct connection between the Cyprus problem and Turkey's EU bid. Turkey insistently turned against this connection and continued supporting that these two issues should be disconnected. However, today Turkey is now the side that makes this connection by saying 'If the Cyprus problem is not solved, we will freeze our negotiations' ?.."

2. Erdogan's view that the details on the issue of Karpass and Morfou should be discussed between the Turkish and the Greek Cypriot side includes serious mistakes. It says that the views on the matters which are in the agenda of the negotiation table are not Turkey's but views of the Turkish Cypriot people. It was the Greek Cypriot side the side which was supporting that the Cyprus problem is a problem between them and Turkey and not between them and the Turkish Cypriot side. Now, the Prime Minister makes this declaration without taking into consideration these details, and thus it gives a trump card to the Greek Cypriot side and reduces the strength of the Turkish Cypriot side.

3. The negotiation process between Turkish and Greek Cypriots will also be affected by these statements. The Greek Cypriots and Greece will try to utilize this in the way "Turkey gave up from the solution". The UN Secretary General may evaluate the Turkish stance as a constrictive factor and a manoeuvre. For the circles, opposing to Turkey's membership to the EU it will be easier to think that they were right for not taking steps for encouraging Turkey's EU bid and it will be easier for them to freeze Turkey's ties with the EU. The European Commission as well will react negatively to Ankara. Consequently, the opportunity for the solution of the Cyprus problem might be diminished and our relations with the EU will face a drawback."

Cakirozer, also analyzed Logoglu's position on the question why the AKP Government felt the need to change its policy on the Cyprus problem, especially after AKP's great success at the June 12 elections and writes that Logoglu supported the possibility that it is a tactic of AKP to change the agenda, to remove from the agenda the Terrorism issue and the Kurdish issue and bring the Cyprus problem and also referred to the possibility that the AKP for its own reasons decided to give up from the goal of its EU membership and it exerts efforts to make the Turkish public opinion to get over with this by exploiting the Cyprus problem...

http://www.hri.org/news/cyprus/tcpr/201 ... .tcpr.html

[bigOz]

Andrew 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”.

Since the Church is the biggest single power in the South - that should now put us on equal footing!

[Pyrpolizer]

European are being deliberately obtuse on this. Obviously Turkey does not want to join the EU. The reasons are clear:

If it does join it will have to abolish all the props to its exporters which lead to a subsidy driven growth.

It will have to accept the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice with no reservations.

It will have to sign the Law of the Sea convention.

It will have to implement the EU aquis with all its rules about human rights which will give the Kurdish problem a whole new dimension.

Turkey is happy using the parts of international law which suit it and reject the ones that do not. As a member of the EU there is no such eclectic luxury. No wonder Erdo is looking for ways to evade and avoid EU membership but tries to put on a nationalist "patriotic" face on it.

Plus they need to conform with European economic standards in the disemployment of 12-15 million agrarian workers