On The Cyprus Issue, Style Is Important

HURRIYET- Columnist Ferai Tinc writes on recent developments in the Cyprus peace process. A summary of her column is as follows:
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s new draft Cyprus proposal has effectively put both sides on the island against the wall, for it calls on them to reach an outline agreement within one month. The proposal is seen by diplomatic circles as ‘the basis for agreement on a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus problem.’ The 135-page plan includes detailed, comprehensive proposals which are both open to discussion and need clarification. In addition, the UN for the first time expects both sides to reach an agreement within a very short period of time, a mere month, on the eve of December’s European Union Copenhagen summit.
Turkey has entered a critical period, one requiring tricky diplomatic acrobatics. We’ve got down to the delicate task of evaluating this significant document.
The EU had previously stated at its Helsinki summit that although it preferred a permanent solution to be reached on the island, it did not see this as a condition for the admittance of the Greek Cypriot administration. When discussing the Greek Cypriots’ EU membership, said the EU officials, we will evaluate the attitudes of both sides. That’s what they will take into consideration when dealing with the problem; in other words, the EU will evaluate the stances of both sides to see whether they are positive and constructive. However, this evaluation covers not only the Turkish and Greek Cypriots’ situations, but also Turkey’s attitude towards the issue. As we all know, the EU sees the Cyprus problem as an issue directly linked to Turkey’s EU membership bid. In Turkey’s Accession Partnership Document, the Cyprus issue is discussed under the title of ‘Political Dialogue and Political Criteria.’
We should bear in mind that Annan’s proposal is not a EU document. In other words, the agent behind the diplomatic pressure Turkey faces this time is the United Nations Security Council. If Turkey fails to show both the EU and the UN that it is striving mightily to promote the Cyprus peace process, then it will be held responsible for the unresolved problem and will also be faced with new EU decisions likely to belittle all our efforts at EU accession. Therefore, this is the most critical period which the Cyprus peace process has ever seen.
Of course, this doesn’t mean that Turkey should make concessions and let the Greek Cypriots obtain whatever they want. However, the Turkish side should immediately announce that it is ready to discuss the text. Why discussions and consultations? Mehmet Ali Talat, a Turkish Cypriot opposition leader, said, ‘If the Greek Cypriot administration joins the EU in the absence of a permanent solution, then it will act like a wounded lion which is backed by the European countries. Then, we can never be sure when and where it will attack.’

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