Cyprus-Forum.com

[Sotos]

PARIS (Reuters) - The European Union should freeze membership talks with Turkey if Ankara does not open its ports and airports to traffic from Cyprus this year, Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker was quoted on Thursday as saying.

It was the clearest signal so far that some leaders will seek a complete halt to the negotiations if Turkey does not fulfil its obligation to extend its EU customs union to all new member states, including Cyprus, which it does not recognise.

Juncker was asked by the French daily La Croix whether the EU had shown weakness by agreeing to conclude the first detailed accession negotiations on science and research this week without a move by Turkey on Cyprus.

"No. European ministers firmly reiterated to the Turks that this condition should be applied in 2006," he said.

"If Turkey were not to implement this condition this year, my view is that the negotiations will have be postponed."

Turkey has said it would open air and sea access to Cypriot planes and ships if the EU made good on a promise to end the economic isolation of Turkish Cypriot northern Cyprus. The EU has rejected any linkage between Ankara's treaty obligation and its own political pledge, which Nicosia has so far impeded.

Officially, the EU has not threatened a complete suspension of talks if, as expected, Turkey does not meet the condition.

Foreign ministers said this week "Failure to implement its obligations in full will affect the overall progress in the negotiations" without specifying how.

The executive European Commission is due to review Turkey's performance in a report in late October or early November and Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn has warned of a potential "train crash".

Juncker, a veteran centre-right politician close to Germany's governing Christian Democrats, suggested the EU would have to reconsider further expansion in the light of the defeat of the EU constitution in France and the Netherlands.

"Anyhow, Croatia aside, I think that it will probably not be possible to continue the enlargement process without limits and precautions if we do not manage to restore order to European institutions," he told La Croix.

"A large-scale enlargement does not seem feasible to me on the sole basis of the current treaties."

What will Turkey do? Abandon their efords for EU membership or make concessions in the Cyprus issue?

[despo]

Sotos, could you please tell us why the Republic of Cyprus was absolutely on its own earlier this week, when no other EU country (not even Greece) wanted to support its demands that the EU be tougher in telling Turkey to send its planes and ships to Greek-Cypriot ports and airports and to recognise two states on Cyprus?

Could you also explain to us why the EU has not set as a condition for Turkey joining that it remove its troops from Cyprus?

Looking forward to your replies. Thanks!

[Kikapu]

If Turkey is forced by the EU to open it's ports to RoC, Cyprus Airways will be declaring bankruptcy within a month by flying to Turkey, or they will have to drop the service all together. Can anyone tell me how many Greek Cypriots will want to fly to Turkey, and how many Turks from Turkey will want to fly, to Larnaca on Cyprus Airways, when there's a service already provided by Turkish Airlines to Ercan. I can just see the Turkish control towers putting Cyprus Airways on a holding pattern for 30-45 minutes before landing, each time they fly to Turkey, and another 60 minutes at the gate before departure with 3 passengers and a crew of 5!! RoC is just looking for recognition more than access to Turkish ports.

[Piratis]

I think Turkey should just forget about EU.

Countries stuck in the middle ages that insist on using land grab and ethnic cleansing in the 21st century have no place in EU.

Despo, your answers were given by the article posted. If you read more carefully you will see that those words were not said by Greek Cypriots, but from our European partners that share our concerns regarding Turkey.

[Kikapu]

I think Turkey should just forget about EU. .

I sure hope so. I would rather see Turkey have the same arrangements as EU has with Switzerland, where they have a bi-lateral agreements on trade, jobs and movement of people. After 10-15 years, the whole thing is re-negotiated, and each side can back out if they want. What a deal. You have the best of both worlds, without having to obey Brussels. The only thing I can say to you and the Greek Cypriots is, "be careful what you wish for, because you might just get it".

How has the lives of the GC's changed for the better really, since being a member of the EU for the last 2 years. It appears the average worker is working on slave wages, RoC imports even cheaper labour from poorer countries ( to keep the wages low by creating "supply in demand" situation) rather than offer them to the TC's, it claims to represents, and with the influx of other EU member citizens with money in their pockets, are able to buy up Cyprus from under the feet of the GC's. I'll give the RoC five years, when you will find your average fellow citizen will become refugees for the second time in their beloved Cyprus, because they will not be able to afford to have a decent life there.

Turkey has a great potential for growth. They have made great improvements to the country and to the lives of many, and yes she still has a long way to go, but she will get there. Turkey does not belong in the "Christian Club" of the EU. She will always be viewed as the "black sheep" of the family. Who needs that shit. So Piratis, I urge you to pray every night for Turkeys refusal by the EU, and same time forget your dreams of Cyprus being ruled by the majority.

[Issy1956]

Kikapu,
The issue of the ports is not really about having CA flying to Istanbul its more to do with recognition of the GC admin as the sole legitimate government of Cyprus therby admiting the TRNC as a mistake and ofcourse all the lovely revenue Cypriot flagged cargo ships would make out carrying goods from Turkish ports.
I find it hard to believe that Turkey will surrender Cyprus totally in return for the EU but it should mean that they are more willingn to comprise. This however is a dangerous game as if they lose their EU aspirations they will never leave Cyprus-Tpap is playing a high stake dangerous game.

[despo]

Piratis, I read the article carefully. I have also read a whole load of other articles carefully, including the documents of the EU and the UN, and I can guarantee you that the vast majority of the GC media completely distorts, often to the poing of lying about what the real decisions, statements, positions and opinions of the EU, UN and individual European politicians and governments are regarding Cyprus and the Cyprus issue. So, I feel very confident in saying that that article is propaganda and it does not serve the purpose of informing the reader of the real situation vis-a-vis the EU's position on the Cyprus issue. But, yeah, sure the EU has asked (not set as a condition) the Greek Cypriots to open our ports and airports to Turkish ships and planes, sorry, I mean, the EU has asked (not set as a condition) Turkey to open its ports and airports to Greek Cypriot ships and planes. Because so many GCs are just dying to go to Turkey on holiday. And all those GC businessmen are desperate to ship their goods out to Turkey's big market. As for recognition of the Republic of Cyprus, the EU has left that ever so vague - sometime before Turkey joins, they say, because they're hoping that before then a bizonal, bicommunal federation will have been established on Cyprus.

Like, we GCs never did any ethnic cleansing in Cyprus. And, also, check out your European history as well. I mean, the land grabbing and ethnic cleansing, not to mention holocausts that went on in the 20th century. That's why they set the EU up, to get over it!

Which reminds me, I met an Italian guy in Cyprus last December. He told me that after World War Two his wife's family had to leave Slovenia in a population exchange, and he couldn't understand why the Greek Cypriots wouldn't accept something similar. And, Piratis, as a true follower of what really goes on in the EU, you might remember when Ollie Rehn, Enlargement Comissioner, tried to tell the GCs about his grandmother who had to leave Russia for Finland, and how he believes that was a good political settlement. That's the European Union for you, Piratis, that's what an "EU settlement" is going to be all about.

In any case, Piratis, you are a typical example of a contradictory rejectionist (the rejectionist position being full of contradictions). If Turkey doesn't join the EU, and it is intead offered something like a "special relationship," then how is a settlement to the Cyprus problem going to be found, considering the anti-Annan Plan argument was to reject the UN proposal and instead seek a settlement through the EU as Turkey's membership application proceeds?

In any case, it has not been made a condition of Turkey's membership that it should remove its troops from Cyprus or return property to GC displaced, so that rejectionist argument has already failed.

But, what do you think? If the EU governments say to Turkey, "well, our populations don't really like the idea of you joining and the EU has enough problems as it is, we'll give you a special relationship instead," how is Tassos Papadopoulos going to get us this settlement that he promised us then?

[Sotos]

Despo here is another one not from GC media for you

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite? ... 2FShowFull
French President Jacques Chirac warned Turkey on Friday to respect a deal with the European Union to open its ports and airports to Cyprus, or risk stalling its bid to join the European Union.

"They have to respect their engagements," Chirac told reporters after an EU leaders summit. "Notably in the case of Cypriot merchandise arriving in their ports. If it doesn't, it will call into question its capacity to move forward toward the enlargement (of the EU)."

[Kikapu]

Soto,

And the Turkish president told the EU, unless they are going to keep their word to open trade with the TC's, he was not going to open up the ports to Cyprus. If it meant they will not be accepted into the EU, he said he was willing to live with that. He did not feel it was the right moment to include the Cyprus problems with these meetings. In essance, he told the EU and RoC to shove it where the sun don't shine.

[Sotos]

he told the EU and RoC to shove it where the sun don't shine

And you expect RoC and EU to accept this? I think EU and RoC will also tell Turkey to shove it where the sun don't shine. I think the Turks got used to get what they want but it will be a shock for them this time.