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Turkish Cypriots cautiously welcome Turkey's EU talks


'We saw clearly ... in Brussels that Turkey will not give up on Turkish Cypriots as easily as some might have thought. Oct. 3 will not be a doomsday for us'

SIMON BAHCELI

NICOSIA - Reuters

Turkish Cypriots have welcomed the landmark European Union decision to open entry talks with Turkey, but are worried the island will still be divided when talks get underway.
European leaders agreed to open talks with Turkey on Oct. 3, 2005, at a summit in Brussels on Friday after Ankara pledged its intent towards recognizing the internationally accepted Greek Cypriot government before negotiations begin.
The deal was made only after the Greek Cypriot government, EU newcomer and Turkey's arch foe agreed to drop its threat of vetoing the offer of a date before Turkey formally recognized its legitimacy.

"There needs to be a solution by October," Turkish Cyprus's caretaker Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Talat told BRT television, adding, “or Turkish Cypriots risk being ‘tacked on’ to the Greek Cypriot south. We have to persuade the other side of the need for a solution."
That will prove challenging after Greek Cypriots rejected a United Nations-brokered plan to reunite the island in a referendum in April. Only days later the Greek Cypriots entered the EU.

A majority of Turkish Cypriots approved the U.N. plan, which would have guaranteed them EU entry along with the wealthier south under the U.N.’s power-sharing proposals.
Mustafa Ak?nc?, who heads the pro-settlement Peace and Democracy Movement, said the October date could give fresh impetus to the island's stalled peace process.
"It commits Turkey to doing all it can to help," he said.

Uncertainty persists

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdog<breve>an promised the EU that Ankara would sign a protocol extending the 1963 Association Agreement to the 10 states, including Greek Cyprus, which joined the bloc in May.
Turkey insists this will not amount to formal recognition and a renewed U.N.-led effort should be revived before Ankara begins talks with the EU on Oct 3.

Turkish Cypriot political analyst Ayla Gürel said she did not expect Turkey to remove its troops without a settlement.
"We saw clearly ... in Brussels that Turkey will not give up on Turkish Cypriots as easily as some might have thought. Oct. 3 will not be a doomsday for us." Gürel said.

Other Turkish Cypriots said they did not expect either side to make the compromises necessary for a deal.
"I think it's fantasy to imagine there will be a solution by October. There is no way Turkey is willing to make the concessions the Greek Cypriots will ask for," retired police officer Güven Muratog<breve>lu said.

While many said they were pleased by Turkey's success in Brussels, they were unsure about its impact upon Turkish Cyprus.
"We are still faced with uncertainty," said restaurant owner Mete Mertsoy. "All we have is hope, and I hope the problem is solved by October. Otherwise there will be a crisis."

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What should be said is: we expect to get shafted where it hurts sooner or later.