TURKIYE- Columnist Ismet Giritli writes on the Cyprus issue and discussions over it. A summary of his column is as follows:
We learned from press reports that EU Commissioner Responsible for Enlargement Guenter Verheugen criticized Turkey during the ‘EU Enlargement’ meeting held in Athens and thus decreased the chances of success of the intercommunal negotiations going on under UN auspices between Clerides and Denktas, openly backing the Greek Cypriot administration and threatening Turkey and the TRNC. In fact Verheugen, who is Karen Fogg’s boss, should know better than anyone else that under international agreements, Cyprus cannot participate in any organization that does not also include both Greece and Turkey. Southern Cyprus is not the Republic of Cyprus established by the 1959 Zurich and London agreements. Southern Cyprus cannot represent the Republic of Cyprus in compliance with the Constitution of the 1960 Republic of Cyprus. It cannot represent Turks living in the north of the island as they are represented by Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Rauf Denktas. By recognizing the membership application of the Greek Cypriot administration made in the name of the so-called Cyprus Republic, the EU has tacitly accepted the division of the island. As this has been done, not only according to the Zurich and London Agreements but also in compliance with the Guarantor Agreement, the Cyprus Republic cannot participate in any political or economic institution which either Turkey or Greece is excluded from. This fact is clearly expressed in the accords of the Guarantor Agreement. Therefore, under certain conditions the road to the International Court of Justice will be opened for Turkey if the Greek Cypriot administration is admitted into the EU by itself. In fact the Republic of Turkey, upon the Greek Cypriot administration’s membership application to the EU, entered these aspects into EU accords on July 3, 1990. The EU Commission’s acquiescing to admit the Greek Cypriot administration in the EU conflicted with the UN negotiations process conducted by the UN secretary-general and even aimed at excluding them. In fact, Commissioner Verheugen’s recent statements and threats are directed at derailing the UN negotiation process. Therefore, I believe that the EU and Verheugen must take their hands off Cyprus.
SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION