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| Europe’s conservatives urge withdrawal of Turkish troops from CyprusMonday, April 3, 2006 ANKARA - Turkish Daily News A transnational parliamentary group representing the interests of allied conservative parties in the European Parliament has approved a resolution strongly urging the withdrawal of Turkish troops from northern Cyprus, Internet news portal ABHaber reported on Sunday. The biggest pan-European political party, the European People's Party, during its congress held in Rome last week, approved the resolution that was proposed by Nikos Anastasiades, leader of the main Greek Cypriot opposition party, the Democratic Rally Party (DISI). Citing a comment from Greek Cypriot daily Politis, ABHaber said the resolution's approval has importance as it was signed by the heads of 11 EU member states. The nine article-EPP resolution urged the European Union “to get more actively involved in international endeavors to solve the Cyprus problem,” while it also called on “the Turkish authorities to effect an early withdrawal, pursuant to the relevant U.N. resolutions, of its forces in accordance with a specific timetable.” The EPP “believes that such a withdrawal of Turkish forces is a necessary step forward on the way to further easing tension and preparing for a lasting solution,” the resolution said. The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) led by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been seeking to become associated with the EPP. Last week, German state governor Edmund Stoiber threatened to block the AKP from becoming associated with the EPP, reflecting his opposition to Turkish attempts to join the EU. Stoiber's Bavaria-only Christian Social Union is the sister party of Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union. He said he would block any move allowing the AKP to join the EPP as an associate. The EPP decides on membership by consensus. “We think that Turkey joining the EU is wrong, and for that reason, allowing the AKP to join would send the wrong signal,” Stoiber said. Erdoğan's party only has observer status with the European conservative group. |
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| Papadopoulos: Turkey heading for EU crisis Wednesday, April 5, 2006 ANKARA - TDN with Reuters Greek Cypriot leader Tassos Papadopoulos said yesterday that Turkey was heading for a crisis with the European Union this year unless it opens its ports and airports to Greek Cypriot traffic as demanded by Brussels. The decades-long division of the Mediterranean island has been a major stumbling block for Turkey's efforts to join the EU. Greek Cyprus, which joined the EU in 2004, has threatened to veto Ankara's accession if Turkey does not open its ports. “If Turkey does not comply, there will be a crisis. But it will be a crisis of its own making, not of Europe's making,” Papadopoulos said in an interview. The EU is requiring Turkey to extend its customs union with the bloc to cover 10 new countries that joined the EU in 2004, including the Greek Cypriot administration. However, Ankara has so far refused to extend the customs deal to Greek Cyprus, seeking to ease an economic blockade imposed on the Turkish Cypriots in the north of the island in exchange. The EU will issue a key progress report in October, and Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn warned Ankara last week it may face a “train crash” if it did not comply. Papadopoulos said that although all EU members wanted Turkey to continue on its EU path, they were not prepared to make exceptions for the large Muslim state. “I don't think there is a country that does not want Turkey to continue negotiations,” he said. “(I want to see Turkey) in the EU, provided that it behaves like a European state and complies fully with the obligations that every state has.” Divided since a 1974 Turkish military intervention in response to a coup in Nicosia engineered by the military junta then ruling Greece, Cyprus has defied repeated reunification efforts. The latest plan by U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan was approved by the Turkish Cypriots, eager for international recognition, but was rejected by the Greek Cypriots in a 2004 referendum. A lawyer and long-time politician, Papadopoulos, 72, was slammed by the international community for campaigning against the Annan plan after having secured EU membership. He said he was willing to go back to the negotiating table as soon as possible provided there were some key changes to the approach that would secure a deal this time around. “A new round of talks must be in compliance with certain circumstances,” Papadopoulos said. “As soon as the Turkish side agrees, we can start next week.” Any new plan must be better prepared and should have the political agreement of both sides before going to a referendum, he said. Papadopoulos said the failed plan, which envisioned a federation of two equal states with some land returned to the Greek Cypriots, was unfair to his people. Although he backed the creation of joint technical committees to deal with issues ranging from health to illegal immigration, Papadopoulos said it was conditional on moving towards discussing issues of substance. “The aim is for talks to bridge the gap and start preparing substantive talks for a comprehensive solution,” he said. Papadopoulos dismissed comments from some international observers who accuse him of not really wanting a solution |