BY CUNEYT ULSEVER
HURRIYET- New judicial arrangements called ‘Green Line regulations’ as adopted in July by the European Commission came into effect yesterday on Cyprus as part of an EU package to end the isolation of the Turkish Cypriots. These regulations are designed to govern trade between the Greek and Turkish Cypriots, providing for trade across the island's ‘Green Line border,’ including goods originating in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). These rules are very important for the TRNC, since they are designed to allow Turkish Cypriot goods to compete with Greek Cypriot ones. The ‘Green Line regulations’ constitute a very important step, clearly indicating that the EU can no longer turn a blind eye to the Turkish Cypriots’ economic problems in the wake of the referendums earlier this year. However, these regulations don’t cover the TRNC’s commercial relations with EU member states. The EU might make new decisions and legal arrangements to allow the TRNC to sell its goods directly to its member states. I’m not optimistic about this possibility, however, because although the TRNC has certain political advantages in the eyes of the international community, the Greek Cypriots clearly hold the legal upper hand. When the referendums were held, the Greek Cypriot administration already knew that it was the winner. Thanks to the TRNC and Ankara’s past no-concessions policies, the Turkish side in effect handed the Greek Cypriots unilateral EU membership. In the past, the mentality behind the Turkish Cypriot administration’s sheer obstinacy was simple: The longer we resist, the more we force them to recognize us as a state! However, such a demand was doomed to failure. After this year’s referendums, its chances have grown even dimmer. No more of the past’s ‘no-solution is a resolution’ mentality! However, its repercussions are still haunting the TRNC. The EU will never grant the TRNC a ‘third party’ status without officially recognizing it. Moreover, under the current circumstances, relevant UN Security Council resolutions won’t allow the EU to officially recognize the TRNC. Therefore, the Greek Cypriots will take advantage of this situation in every possible way!