[autom.vertaling] Turkije dat wordt aangespoord om over Cyprus te compromitteren (en)
Turkey is being urged more than ever to compromise on the Cyprus issue, where it was lately accused of stalling progress in the talks aimed at finding a solution between the Greek and Turkish Cypriot sides. Although an agreement is not a precondition for the island's entry into the EU, officials believe an agreement in principle would ease the enlargement process.
Two differing views on future of Cyprus
The Greek and Turkish Cypriots have so far failed to reconcile their differing views about the future status and form of the island. Whilst the Turkish Cypriots want a confederation of two sovereign states, the Greek Cypriots want a unitary federation and a "reinstitution of property rights." The position that the Turkish Cypriot side is continuing to support does not however, fit with that of the European Union, as the EU wants Cyprus to be able to speak with one voice and with the ability to implement EU laws in the whole of the island's territory.
Turkey increasing EU concern
Recent Turkish statements have increased the EU's concern. Speaking at the UN General Assembly in New York last week, Turkish Foreign Minister Sukru Gurel said: "The decision of the EU council to start accession negotiations with the Greek Cypriot administration, despite the illegitimacy of its claim to represent the whole of the island, has made an agreed settlement even more elusive." Mr Gurel also reaffirmed Ankara's support for Turkish Cypriot proposals for a settlement, which he said should be "on the basis of the equal status and sovereign equality of the two partner states."
The Greek Cypriot Foreign Minister Yiannakis Cassoulides, however, warned Turkey that its intransigence would have no bearing on Cyprus's accession to the European Union, and that Europe would not wait for Turkey to make up its mind about a solution. "The European Union cannot wait until Turkey decides when it is time to solve the Cyprus question. If the problem is not settled by December 12, Brussels will go ahead with our accession as planned," Cassoulides said according to Cyprus Mail.
During the UN General Assembly in New York, the Greek Foreign Minister George Papandreou called on the EU and the USA to deliver a clear message to Turkey to stop threatening to annex occupied northern Cyprus or cause a military incident if Cyprus enters the EU without a settlement having been reached.
2004 enlergement putting pressure on talks
Pressure to solve this issue has increased with the prospect of the next EU enlargement, where Cyprus is expected to be one of the countries to join in 2004. The EU has repeatedly said that a resolution of the conflict is not a precondition for enlargement, although it would prefer that the whole of Cyprus enters the EU. However, if no agreement is reached before the Copenhagen summit in December, it could mean that only the Greek Cypriot part will accede to the EU, a move that would put a strain on EU-Turkey relations.
According to the Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz, a definitive agreement on the island is impossible before the Copenhagen summit in December. Enlargement Commissioner Günter Verheugen, expressed his concerns last week about the lack of progress in the talks between the two sides, saying "it is late but not too late" for a solution to be reached. Mr Verheugen hopes that clear steps on the Cyprus issue are made in Turkey after the November 3 elections, and that a pro-European government is elected.