Cyprus-Forum.com

[brother]

13 October 2004


Entry talks to start in April'

* EU sources say Cyprus dispute will not be set as a condition when EU leaders make a decision on Turkish entry talks in December.

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ANKARA - Turkish Daily News

The negotiations for Turkey's eventual accession to the European Union are likely to begin in the first half of next year, if European leaders agree to make a decision at a December summit to set a date for the start of Turkish talks, EU diplomats in Ankara said.

The start of the negotiations could be delayed to the second half only if a very important development occurs, a diplomat said whithout elaborating. He said the talks were likely to begin on April 26 next year when the EU-Turkey Association Council meet.

The recognition of divided Cyprus' internationally-recognized Greek Cypriot administration by Ankara would not be set as a condition, he added.

"It is politically unacceptable for a member state to try to prevent a process which is approved by all other 24 member states," the diplomat who asked to remain unidentified said in response to a question over the Greek Cypriot Foreign Minister George Iacovou's threat of vetoing the start of Turkey's negotiations.

Iacovou also said his administration sought Turkish steps for the resolution of the Cyprus dispute to be set as a condition for the start of Ankara's entry talks.

EU sources said the phrase "open-ended," used to describe the possible negotiation process for Turkey, was not a new concept and was not used only for Ankara. "You cannot take a negotiation process for granted for any country," the diplomat said.

Some expressions in the EU Commission's report that irked Turkish officials were included in order to ease Europeam public opposition to Turkish entry, he said. "It will be easier for those member states to convey their message and sway public opinion in this way," the diplomat added.

The possibility of imposing permanent limitations on the free movement of Turkish workers was against the basic principles of the EU which was the free movement of persons, goods, capital and services, he explained.

The diplomat said there were different understandings about the definition of the "minority" concept and this issue should be sorted out by discussions between Ankara and Brussels in order to reach a common understanding. He also said the Lausanne Treaty, which described the minorities in Turkey, was not and would not be a part of union law.

"The ongoing public debates in the member states are very useful for the union itself," an EU source said referring to heated discussions in member states whether to embrace the 70-million-strong Turkish population that is overwhelmingly Muslim.

[-mikkie2-]

This report just shows how naive Turkey is in the working of the EU!

Turkey cannot demand that the EU not place conditions or anything else.

The non recognition of Cyprus for example will have to be addressed. Why? Because Cyprus will be at the negotiating table with the other 24 members. In addition, Cyprus will probably ask for an embassy in Turkey. How can the Cypriot delegates get an idea of what goes on in Turkey if they haven't got a presence in the country?

It is a laughable situation.

[brother]

You have not obviousley understood what you are reading, this came from a senior politician in the E.U.

Whats obvious is that you have not understood how the E.U works, so i ask a question.

Why on the 6th October did the cypriot politicians not make any demands as it was there right to and just kept quiet?

[-mikkie2-]

I have not misunderstood!

It goes without saying that the EU works on censensous of opinion. True, 1 member state can't go against the 24 but also the other 24 can't ignore the concerns of the 1.

Brushing aside the concerns of Cyprus will lead to problems.

Look at what is happening with the EU packages for the TC's to see what I mean. People expected this to happen within a few weeks. Well, we are 6 months down the road and the issue has not yet been resolved!

The rest of the EU will have to take on board what we say. I would expect that there will be minimum requirements, such as for Turkey to ratify the customs union with Cyprus and to recognise Cyprus. The EU has demanded this from Turkey! This would mean that Turkey must allow shipping to dock in Turkey and for its airspace to be used by commercial flights.

So you expect the EU to steamroller over Cyprus?

Watch this space.....

[brother]

No i do not expect anyone to get steam rolled but your comments are very arrogant.

MIKKIE2 says:
The rest of the EU will have to take on board what we say

That is a statement from a power drunk person, do you think that your voice is that loud.

Why on the 6th October did the cypriot politicians not make any demands when turkey was given the 'yes' as it was there right to and just kept quiet?

I asked this question still no reply, maybe you lost your voice that day.

[-mikkie2-]

The Commission report is a recommendation, nothing more. This was passed by a majority vote so Verheugen can pretty much write what he likes.

The decision will be taken on Dec 17th by the heads of state and any conditions they place will have to be accepted by the Turks.

Power drunk? Not really. Realistic? Yes.

Can the EU completely ignore Cyprus if it threatens to use her veto? I bet the EU will do its utmost for that not to happen, which means that they will have to come to some compromise.

[brother]

Tassos will bend in whatever direction he is told by greece and the E.U.

[Piratis]

A recent poll in France showed that only 1 in 4 French want Turkey in the EU. In most EU countries the public opinion is either divided or rejects Turkey. So how can they say that Cyprus is supposedly 1 VS 24??
The turth is that if a referendum was done among all Europeans, Turkey would have probably been rejected.

So while Cyprus alone can not stop Turkey, Cyprus is not alone at all.

The Cyprus problem will be linked to the accession proccess of Turkey, and Turkey will be forced to recognize RoC. Turkey has to choose between accepting these requirements or saying good bye to EU.

Tassos will bend in whatever direction he is told by greece and the E.U.

If there was one message Tassos gave in April this is that he does not bend. He will do whatever is needed to be done to serve the interests of Cyprus, and nobody will be able to bend him.

[brother]

tassos is probably as bent as they come, and the only thing he will strive for is the division of cyprus...........remember these words but i hope i am wrong.

[brother]

14 October 2004


A Date For Membership Talks: April 26, 2005

BY ZEYNEP GURCANLI

STAR- The wheels of the European Union are turning smoothly. Everybody was expecting the European Commission’s recommendation on Turkey to take its own stance on the issue. Once the report was issued, the EU has started to apply the proper procedures without any hitches.

The first step was taken by Luxembourg, the country due to take over the Union’s term presidency next January. Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker recently sent a message to his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, stating that they were planning to set April 26, 2005 as the beginning date of Turkey’s membership talks. Moreover, an identical message came from Britain. ‘Luxembourg wants to officially start Turkey’s membership negotiations in the first half of 2005,’ said British Foreign Minister Jack Straw during his recent visit to Ankara. ‘However, if the process is delayed due to red tape, then Britain will have the honor to initiate the talks in the second half of 2005’ (when it is term president).

But, is there any chance that Turkey will face new conditions and demands from the EU? For example, the Greek Cypriots might demand that we officially recognize their presence. However, although they believe this step is an inevitable one for Turkey, EU diplomats are currently saying that taking it cannot be set as a condition for starting our talks.

Moreover, EU officials are underlining that the real aim of the criticisms and warnings included in the commission report is easing the fears of European conservatives. According to these officials, most European countries have serious concerns about Turkey’s membership, which is why the report stresses that Ankara’s negotiations will be a long and open-ended process that can be suspended if the EU finds Turkey backtracking on human rights or democratization.

Since Premier Erdogan and Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul have recently shown an understanding of these concerns, they are now regarded as ‘truly European leaders’ within EU circles. According to one EU official, focusing on the positive elements of the commission’s recommendation constitutes a truly European act.

But what should we do now? In the past, our leaders failed to build healthy links with EU leaders, but Erdogan has recently bridged the communications gap between the two parties. Now it’s time for the Turkish nation to present itself to its European counterparts, which means mobilizing all of our resources for a national promotion campaign.