Baykal On Cyprus

BY MURAT YETKIN
RADIKAL- Opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal said on CNN Turk yesterday that the US and Britain should intervene to overcome the deadlock on the Cyprus issue. He believes diplomatic steps from Washington and London can motivate the Greek Cypriot administration to reach a consensus and agreement. After the broadcast, he detailed his suggestions as follows:
* The EU thought that even without a resolution, the Greek Cypriot administration would join it. When it was clear that UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s plan wouldn’t benefit the Greek Cypriots, they rejected it.
* The deadlock is based on the two following issues:
1) The EU’s Cyprus policy
2) Turkey’s determination to start EU membership talks.
We should play the game on these two baselines. These are variations of the equation to be established. The EU is an amalgam of 25 countries, and it’s difficult for it to make certain decisions in common. In the same manner, the UN has difficulties making and implementing important decisions in which details loom large. However, now we seem to be in a china shop where we have to walk carefully.
* The US and Britain, particularly the US, can accomplish this. I don’t think that anybody would oppose a step taken by Washington. Britain is an EU member and a guarantor of Cyprus. In addition, the US and Britain should say that the Turkish Cypriots were treated unfairly. They can find a formula similar to Macedonia or invite Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Talat and Turkish Cypriot Democrat Party leader Serdar Denktas to visit Washington. I’m sure diplomats would find the best formula.
* The government should press the US and Britain on this issue and take a serious stance vis-à-vis the EU, saying, ‘We don’t have to accept conditions on the Cyprus issue for second-class EU membership.” It should erase the impression that Turkey will take whatever it’s offered. We should say, ‘We can’t recognize Greek Cypriots before our future with the EU is clarified and the Cyprus issue is solved.’ If the EU says, ‘If you don’t recognize it, we can’t start membership talks,’ we should say, ‘No talks, then.’ Otherwise Turkey will be a loser and Turkish Cypriots will be treated unfairly.
Baykal’s suggestions are substantial. His formula is a call to the government as well as the US and Britain, and it should be taken into serious consideration.