[autom.vertaling] Turkse Cyprioten irriteerden door het standpunt van de EU (en)
The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus has attacked the EU's position on Cyprus, saying it has "caused enough damage on the process of negotiations by announcing at every opportunity that the Greek Cypriot administration of South Cyprus will be admitted to the European Union irrespective of a settlement in Cyprus."
The EU would prefer that an agreement is reached before the end of the year, but it has stated that this is not a precondition for Cyprus's EU accession.
In the case of no settlement before the end of the year, the Copenhagen Summit in mid-December is expected to announce its position on whether only the Greek Cypriot part should be admitted in the EU. The talks are expected to continue into next year.
The Northern Cypriot Foreign Ministry stated that "the continued attempt by the EU to impose its position with respect to a settlement in Cyprus will not serve any purpose other than further increasing the intransigence of the Greek Cypriot side."
The two sides have been since January trying to reach a common position over the future state of the island. These talks, led by the UN, have so far led to no breakthrough. The Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash, who has been recently ill, warned that Cyprus would remain divided forever if the island joins the European Union without an agreement.
The Turkish Cypriot side 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.