Foreign Affairs Commissionner Hans van den Broek

Date: 27/02/1997

who visits Cyprus this week to discuss EU enlargement and peace negotiations, is likely to face tough questioning on Union proposals to include Turkish Cypriots in accession talks alongside the island's internationally recognised government. Fourteen EU member states support the idea, but Greek Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos said the UK and Germany, which led calls for a change in the EU's position, had given “a gift” to Turkey and “must pay the bill”, reiterating his threat to block Union enlargement over the issue.