Would They Try It For Cyprus Too?

MILLIYET- Columnist Sami Kohen writes on the Turkish and Greek foreign ministers’ visit to the Middle East and asks if it would be possible for them to try the same for Cyprus. A summary of his column is as follows:
Maybe it was the last question to ask Arafat, who certainly has his own concerns... Did the Palestinian leader believe that the joint Middle East peace initiative by the Turkish and Greek foreign ministers would have positive effects on relations between the two countries? In fact this question posed to Arafat is asked in another way: If Cem and Papandreou are on such good terms and taking on the responsibility to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, why aren’t they doing the same for Cyprus? For example why aren’t they concentrating on launching a joint initiative for Cyprus and taking a symbolic step? The answer may be that there are great differences between the Cyprus issue and the Israel-Palestinian conflict. There is an ongoing dialogue in Cyprus. Denktas is meeting Clerides and both Ankara and Athens are supporting this dialogue. Furthermore, Cem and Papandreou, who are launching a joint initiative aimed at easing tensions in the Middle East, are striking examples in creating an atmosphere of confidence in Turkish-Greek relations. However, following the Middle East mission, can’t they make a similar effort for Cyprus? We know that it isn’t easy, but everyone expects two ministers such who have shown the will to solve a more complicated problem to show the same courage for Cyprus. On Cyprus, the negotiations between Denktas and Clerides are going on their fifth month. Up to now, improvement has been seen on basic issues. When the negotiations began, it was hoped that they would be concluded by June. Now Denktas is complaining of setting such a deadline and of the EU’s pressures. However, if there are no improvement in the next few weeks, it will be hard to avoid unpleasant developments in the second half of the year. This is true both for the TRNC and Turkey, and the Greek Cypriot administration and Greece. Recently, experienced diplomat turned politician Mehmet Ali Irtemcelik presented an interesting idea which attracted great attention both in the press and diplomatic circles. He said that Turkey and Greece should be actively involved in a search for the Cyprus problem. This idea should be seriously discussed in view of the recent developments. The time has come for Ankara and Athens to play a role towards easing and accelerating a solution. The first steps in this direction can be taken by Cem and Papandreou, and then a positive impact of the Middle East mission would be felt in Cyprus.

SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION