[autom.vertaling] Turkije: De EU zou geen Cyprus zonder een regeling moeten toelaten (en)
As the Copenhagen summit nears, where the EU leaders will decide the fate of Cyprus, Turkey is stepping up pressure not to admit the divided island before a settlement is reached. The EU's position is that an agreement is not a precondition for the country's EU accession. But if the EU goes ahead with this strategy, it risks harming its relations with Turkey.
The Turkish Ambassador to the EU, Oguz Demiralp, told the EUobserver that if only the Greek part of the island were to accede to the EU, without an agreement, it would lead to a secession of talks and permanent division of the island.
No accession without settlement
"It is a very serious issue," Mr Demiralp said. "The EU should not admit Cyprus if there is no settlement on the island." He also appears to be in favour of having Turkey and Cyprus accede the EU at the same time. Enlargement Commissioner Günter Verheugen, on the other hand, has said that the next round of enlargement cannot go ahead without Cyprus.
The Turkish ambassador said that Turkey supports the talks. "There is no EU pressure. We support them by ourselves," Mr Demiralp told the EUobserver. The Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot sides have been trying since January to reach a common position over the future state of the island, which has been divided since 1974.
These talks, led by the UN, have so far failed to lead to a breakthrough. The Turkish Cypriot leader, Rauf Denktash, warned that Cyprus would remain divided forever if the island joins the European Union without an agreement.
The Turkish Cypriot side, which is irritated by the EU position, said that the aim of the direct talks is not to facilitate the EU membership of the Greek Cypriot side but to find a lasting and viable solution to the Cyprus issue.
Election pressures
Pressures are also mounting due to next Sunday's elections in Turkey, which will determine the path the EU will take in relation to Turkey. Abdullah Gul, deputy chairman of the former Islamist Justice and Development party (AKP), currently leading the polls, said the EU must avoid firm decisions on Cyprus' accession until a new Turkish government has been installed, the Financial Times reported.
Mr Gul is a prime contender to head an AKP-led government because Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the party leader, has been banned from standing in the election following his conviction for inciting religious hatred. It could take up to six weeks after the election before there is a new government, which would mean a caretaker administration in charge at the time of the Copenhagen summit.