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EU expects Turkey to recognise Cyprus: Dutch presidency
AFP: 12/15/2004

BRUSSELS, Dec 15 (AFP) - The EU expects Turkey to give implicit recognition of Cyprus` internationally-backed government in return for an accord this week to open accession talks, a Dutch EU presidency source said Wednesday.

He said that Turkey will have to show a commitment to sign an additional protocol to a 1963 accord with the EU`s forerunner, called the Ankara Agreement, to cover the bloc`s 10 new member states including Cyprus.

"What is politically important is that Turkey is ready to sign the protocol," the presidency source told reporters on condition of anonymity, on the eve of an EU leaders` summit.

"Otherwise we will have a problem with Cyprus, that`s absolutely clear," he said.

"The importance is that there will be an agreement to sign the protocol to the Ankara Agreement, preferably on Friday."

Friday may be too early for the signing given technical hurdles such as getting the protocol translated into all of the EU`s 20 official languages, the source said.

"But if not possible (on Friday), then as soon as we can get things done."

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 a UN blueprint to reunify Cyprus.

Turkey only recognises the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus declared in 1983, whose voters overwhelmingly backed the peace plan.

Ahead of Thursday`s EU summit, the Greek-Cypriot government has said it wants Turkey to show its willingness to normalize relations as the price for its agreement for the bloc to launch accession talks with Ankara.

Agreement by all 25 EU member states is required to begin the membership negotiations.

But Turkey has rejected extra conditions such as recognition of Cyprus in return for winning its long-sought start to EU entry talks.

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What it expects and what happens are miles apart.