HURRIYET- Columnist Ferai Tinc writes about Turkey’s Cyprus policy. A summary of her column is as follows:
What is causing the current tension between Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Rauf Denktas and Justice and Development Party (AKP) leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan? Is it because Lefkosha and Ankara have diverging views on the Cyprus issue? Or does the bulk of this discrepancy lie in Ankara’s ambiguous stance on the problem?
True, Turkey has of late failed to speak in one voice on its Cyprus policy, a failure plaguing not only the government but also the country’s prominent institutions which have a say on our foreign policy.
Certain circles in Turkey characterize UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s Cyprus peace plan as a ‘surrender,’ one effectively aimed at annihilating the Turkish Cypriots and forcing Turkey to take its hands off the island. Recently, the Foreign Ministry gave the first signals of a shift in Turkey’s policy on the issue, and then denied that any change was on the agenda while President Ahmet Necdet Sezer pledged full support to Denktas. Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc paid a visit to the TRNC earlier this month, proclaiming the moment he set foot on the island that the Turkish Cypriots’ demand for peace should be seriously taken into consideration. Yet, upon his departure from the island he apparently changed his mind, saying, ‘Turkey’s withdrawing support for Denktas would mean betraying the Turkish Cypriots. Standing up for Denktas’s cause would be the wisest action.’
When I asked Denktas about Arinc’s change of heart, he said, ‘He held contacts with our officials and they presented him with certain documents. I suppose that’s why now he thinks differently about the issue.’
Although Arinc is the Parliament speaker and tries to keep a distance between himself and his party, he has substantial influence over certain AKP officials. Arinc’s change of heart on the Cyprus problem contrasts starkly with Erdogan’s recent remarks in Davos. One could even argue that Erdogan’s statements would deserve to be labelled a ‘betrayal of the Turkish Cypriots’ if seen through Arinc’s glasses.
Ankara’s ambiguous and uncertain stance stems from this unsteady cluster of diverging views on Cyprus. Of course in a democratic country there will be conflicting opinions trying to influence the course of politics, but the current odd situation in Turkey is that the country lacks an official stance.
The EU accession of the Greek Cypriot administration has shifted all the parameters of the problem. If Turkey’s political leadership truly wants to secure the rights and the legitimacy of the Turkish Cypriots, then it needs to make up its mind on Cyprus, and soon.
SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION