Yilmaz: Turkey Is Making Every Contribution For The Solution Of Cyprus Problem

ISTANBUL, Feb 11 (A.A) - Deputy Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz has said that Turkey was making every contribution to bring a solution to the Cyprus conflict but stressed that Turkey would not yield to the Greek Cypriot administration in order to join the EU.
Speaking at a meeting entitled ''Turkey's Place in the EU'' on Monday, Yilmaz said that the Cyprus conflict was constituting the biggest obstacle in front of Turkey's EU membership goal.
He said that the EU earlier announced that they could accept the Greek Cypriot administration as a member even if the problem persists between the Turkish and Greek Cypriot sides.
''Of course, this was a decision taken with Greece's pressure. This way it was stated that Turkey has no right to veto the membership of Cyprus. We believe that Turkey is doing everything to bring a solution to the Cyprus problem. But this doesn't mean that Turkey would yield to the Greek Cypriot administration for the sake of joining to the EU,'' he asserted.
He stressed that Turkey's efforts solely would not suffice to solve the problem, but the Greek Cypriot side should also adopt a constructive approach.
''I think that the EU would also pressure the Greek Cypriot side for the solution of the problem. They will postpone the EU membership of the Greek Cypriot administration for a certain time if a concrete solution is not reached. This is the best contribution that the EU could have for the solution of the problem,'' he commented.
Responding to a question on the role of the United States in Turkey-EU relations, Yilmaz said that the United States supports Turkey against the circles in the EU who are stressing religious differences or who claim that the unemployment and rapid population increase in Turkey would negatively affect the EU.
About a question on commercial obstacles, Yilmaz said ''The EU is growing very quickly and forming its own rules. We're having difficulty in following these rules. We sometimes miss adjustment to technical developments in the adjustment process. We have to follow the EU regulations well if we don't want to face obstacles.''