Ludford calls for fair deal on Cyprus

Date: 14/03/02

By David Cronin

TURKISH Cypriots should be involved on an equal footing with their Greek counterparts in the talks on joining the EU, Liberal MEP Sarah Ludford has recommended.

The London deputy is calling for a series of 'confidence-building' measures to be introduced so that EU institutions can throw their weight behind efforts by Cypriot President Giafcos Clerides and Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash to settle their decades-old differences before the island enters the Union.

After four years of no contact between them, the two began intensive face-to-face talks earlier this year. These have now moved beyond an exploratory stage to a second round.

'The EU should offer a package deal that gives a bit to everyone so as to oil the wheels of compromise,' said Ludford. 'We should not wait for issues of recognition and status to be resolved; the important thing is to boost economic and human contacts now.'

She is advocating:

• The lifting of the economic embargo on the Turkish part of Cyprus;
• A Turkish Cypriot agreement that the Commission can open an office in the northern (Turkish) part of the island; and,
• Acceptance that Turkey must be involved in discussions about future security arrangements affecting Cyprus.

There has been a ground swell of support among the Turkish Cypriot community for EU membership recently. Diplomats have said this has been especially noticeable in the rising number of Turkish Cypriots applying for passports from Nicosia - in anticipation of them being able to travel freely to EU states.

As a gesture of encouragement for the Denktash-Clerides talks, the European Commission recently proposed allocating €206 million in aid to Northern Cyprus, currently one of the most deprived regions in Europe.

The EU's preferred option is that a political settlement should be thrashed out before Cyprus joins the Union. But it has declared on several occasions that this is not a prerequisite.

Turkish Cypriots should be involved on an equal footing with their Greek counterparts in the talks on joining the EU, Liberal MEP Sarah Ludford has recommended.