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EU enlargement summit must lead to normal Cypriot-Turkish relations: Greece
AFP: 11/30/2004

ATHENS, Nov 30 (AFP) - Greece said Tuesday it expected an upcoming EU summit to set up a mechanism to normalize relations between Turkey and the internationally-recognized Greek-Cypriot government before giving Ankara the green light to start accession talks.

"I refer to a statement by Cypriot Foreign Minister Yiorgos Iakovou... that 'we expect the European Council to take decisions safeguarding a process of normalization of Turkey's relations with all 25 EU member states," said Greek foreign ministry spokesman Yiorgos Koumoutsakos.

He had been asked by reporters about Ankara's refusal to recognize Cyprus ahead of the December 16-17 summit.

Koumoutsakos played down statements made Monday by Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul that Turkey would consider demands to recognize Cyprus only after the 25-member EU gives Ankara the go-ahead to begin accession talks.

"There will be several statements from several quarters before December 17. The important thing is that there are no hot-blooded reactions," Koumoutsakos said.

Turkey recognizes only the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, and is the only country to do so.

Cyprus has been divided along ethnic lines since 1974, when Turkish troops occupied the northern third of the island in response to a coup engineered by the then-ruling military junta in Athens to unite the country with Greece.

Only the Greek-Cypriot part of the island joined the EU on May 1, after Greek Cypriots rejected in a referendum a UN blueprint to reunify Cyprus.

A first draft of conclusions to be released at the Brussels summit still lacked specifics, Koumoutsakos said.

"From the Greek point of view, it is still generally phrased," he said.

The leaked document shows the 25-nation EU ready to begin accession talks with Turkey, but warns it cannot guarantee that the Muslim-majority country will eventually join.

"The foreign ministry will continue negotiating until December 17," Koumoutsakos said.

Greek Foreign Minister Petros Molyviatis embarks on a two-day diplomatic trip to European capitals Thursday, where he is scheduled to meet his counterparts from Austria, Britain, Germany and Italy.

Greece broadly supports Turkish integration with Europe which it sees as an instrument to defuse tensions with its NATO partner and rival over territorial rights and reach a settlement on Cyprus.

But Athens and Nicosia will be closely watching Turkey's behaviour before eventually accepting Ankara as an EU member, Koumoutsakos said. "Greece and Cyprus will be rigorous and fair judges," he told reporters.