BY MURAT YETKIN
RADIKAL- European Union Commissioner for Enlargement Guenter Verheugen yesterday made a very significant statement, one praising Ankara’s ‘courageous’ role in supporting Cyprus reunification efforts. He added that Turkey’s positive stance on Cyprus should help its own bid to begin membership talks with the EU next year.
According to diplomatic sources, Verheugen’s statement may not be so much his own wish but rather may reflect a behind-the-scenes decision made by EU brass. Last week Verheugen held a meeting with German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and French President Jacques Chirac to discuss Turkey’s role in the Cyprus issue. No outside official or interpreter was allowed to attend this gathering, from which the press was also barred. The trio reportedly reached an agreement to set a date for Turkey’s membership negotiations by the end of the year if developments on the Cyprus issue proceed suitably. What do they mean by ‘suitably? This refers firstly to finding a solution to the island’s problem in line with the UN resolution plan. Secondly, if the negotiations fail due to the stance of the Greek side, then everything will again be in Turkey’s favor.
There seems to be two major threats to the Cyprus negotiations set to begin tomorrow. First, the three guarantor states – Turkey, Greece and Britain – have announced that they will accept whatever result comes from the simultaneous referendums that the Greek and Turkish Cypriots sides are set to hold in April. These three states have to fulfill all legal requirements before the referendums. Diplomats believe that this issue must be taken up by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan due to legal obstructions making the commitment of the guarantor states difficult to realize. The second threat is that there are certain blanks in the EU guarantee, pledging to recognize whatever agreement is reached as conforming to the EU acquis. Some argue that the Greek side might mount a legal challenge to render the agreement null and void if these blanks aren’t properly filled.
Well, did our political parties debate these issues during yesterday’s parliamentary discussions? No, they didn’t. We can’t expect the government to make the critical details public since the peace talks are to begin tomorrow. However, yesterday’s discussions and the statements made by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and main opposition leader Deniz Baykal reaffirmed their positions: while the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) sees the latest developments as very positive, the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) regards them as virtually catastrophic.