HURRIYET- Columnist Ferai Tinc writes on the Cyprus report prepared by Andras Barsony and accepted by the Council of Europe. A summary of her column is as follows:
The Cyprus report accepted by the Council of Europe this week carries a number of important clues. The Council, whose current membership which also covers a vast area stretching from the Caucasus to the Eastern Bloc countries, represents not only the views of Europe, and it lacks any authority for sanctions. However, the recommendations of the Council form the first step of European Union decisions. As in all cases, Brussels take into consideration the reports and decisions accepted by the Council on Cyprus or Turkey before forming an opinion on the given issue. Therefore, looking at the report prepared by Hungarian parliamentarian Andras Barsony we can see that views of the Greek Cypriots are no longer the only ones being taken into consideration on the Cyprus issue. This aspect of the problem is expressed in the report. Up until now, Turkish Cypriots were only consulted regarding Cyprus when the issue was debated at commissions. Now, however, the Turkish Cypriots are being urged to participate more effectively in the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly and in studies in the commissions. Furthermore, they were not characterized as the 'representatives of the Turkish Cypriots' but as 'elected representatives of the Turkish Cypriot community'. This is a first. Certainly, this doesn't add up to a recognition of the TRNC. However, it is the first time that the Council's registers recorded that there was an elected administration on the north of the island. A representative from the Turkish Cypriot community has the right to participate in the meetings together with the Greek Cypriot delegation in line with Council decisions, but this time the participation mentioned goes a step further than the framework of this decision. It means that in the coming period, a Turkish Cypriot parliamentarian may be able to speak at the plenary session in addition to Greek Cypriot parliamentarians. Certainly, this should not be expected to happen immediately. We can see the beginning of a process which may be accelerated through shrewd policies. The second important point in the report concerns the unfair embargo which has been imposed on the Turkish Cypriots for so many years. In line with a provision added through the initiative of a Dutch parliamentarian and accepted by a large majority, the report calls on the European Union to open its markets to products manufactured in the TRNC. What is more, it stresses that trade between the EU and TRNC should not be affected by differences of opinion on political matters. When we consider that the representatives of Turkish and Greek Cypriot trade chambers are meeting in Athens, it is clear that the embargo will be lifted. The third issue in the report concerns the ban imposed by the Greek Cypriot administration on tourists' passage to the north. The report requests that the hindrances to passage to the North be lifted. All these developments show that there is a direct relation between economic pressure and the process towards a solution. The solution climate is forcing everyone to be careful. The Barsony report, which was accepted by a large majority at the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly, stresses the necessity for a solution on the island for the admittance of Greek Cypriot administration. In their quest to reach a solution, difficult days await both Turkish and Greek Cypriots.
SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION