EU en Turkije in discussie over Cyprus kwestie (en)

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Turkey's chief EU negotiator, Ali Babacan, has said there are "different views" between Ankara and Brussels on the Cyprus issue, after holding talks with EU enlargement commissioner Olli Rehn in Brussels on Thursday (19 May).

Turkey last summer signed the so-called Ankara protocol extending a customs agreement with the EU to the bloc's "new" member states including the Republic of Cyprus.

The signing was a precondition for the opening of EU entry talks with Ankara in October, meaning in practice that Turkey is obliged to open its ports and airports to ships and aircraft from Cyprus - a state which Ankara does not recognise.

"We expect that Turkey will respect its commitments as regards the additional protocol of the Ankara agreement and extend this to all member states including the Republic of Cyprus," commissioner Olli Rehn i told reporters after the talks.

But Turkey first expects the EU to allow direct trade with the Turkish-populated northern part of Cyprus, said Turkish diplomats. The north, occupied by Turkish troops since 1974, suffers from economic isolation fostered by an international trade embargo.

Mr Babacan said "Our view of what is required by the Ankara protocol is obviously different from the commission's view."

He directly linked Turkish implementation of the Ankara protocol to the need for an overall Cyprus peace deal, referring to the fact that it was the Greek Cypriots who rejected a peace plan by UN chief Kofi Annan in 2004.

"No linkage'"

Mr Rehn said, however, that "there is no linkage" between the two issues, indicating that Turkey's obligation to allow Cypriot vessels stems from the opening of EU entry talks last autumn and cannot be made conditional on the Cyprus problem.

Behind the scenes, however, EU diplomats indicate that some movement from the EU side on Northern Cyprus is necessary, despite EU member state Cyprus still blocking direct trade with the north.

Commissioner Rehn signalled earlier on Thursday, speaking at the European Policy Centre (EPC), that fresh initiatives to break the deadlock are under way.

"I trust that after the parliamentary elections in Cyprus this week, we can soon start serious work to get the remaining part of the economic aid and trade package for the northern part of Cyprus and get this regulation, with certain accompanying measures, soon adopted in the council."

Elections are held in Cyprus - but only in the south - on Sunday (21 May).

Cyprus could block EU-Turkey talks

Analysts have warned of a political crisis in Turkey's EU accession talks later this year if the candidate state sticks to its refusal to open its ports and airports to Cypriot traffic.

Cypriot president Tassos Papadopoulos told Austrian paper Der Standard on Wednesday "Turkey's progress will be assessed in October or November. What I can already tell you now is that I will not tolerate that they tell us that Turkey should be given more time here."

Asked whether Cyprus would use its veto to block further EU talks with Ankara, he said "It is not about the question whether we apply our veto. Rather it could become doubtful whether we open further chapters in the negotiating process. For this, the approval of all 25 member states is necessary."