Poos hits back at Turkey over claims of Greek Cypriot links

Date: 06/09/01

By David Cronin

LUXEMBOURG'S former foreign minister Jacques Poos has accused the Turkish government of launching an unwarranted attack against him by stating that he had "private connections" with the Greek Cypriot administration.

Now a Socialist MEP, Poos was the author of a European Parliament report on Cyprus, adopted by a large majority yesterday (5 September), which contended that Ankara would wreck its chances of joining the EU if it decided to annex the northern part of the island's disputed territory.

The Turkish ministry of foreign affairs had earlier described Poos as "a person well-known for his special opposition towards Turkey and his private connections with the Greek Cypriot administration."

But Poos told European Voice: "I have no private relations with Cyrpus. I have never been on holidays there. I don't own a house there or anything like that."

Turkey's EU ambassador Nihat Akyol admitted that his government was not insinuating that Poos was deriving any material benefit from contacts with Nicosia. "The rules of diplomacy do not allow such nasty remarks," he said.

The criticisms were based on the "assessment of Mr Poos over a certain period of time," he added. Holding the posts of foreign and deputy prime minister for a 15-year period, Poos became deeply unpopular in Ankara in 1997 when many officials apportioned a large share of the blame on him for the decision by that year's Luxembourg summit to reject Turkey's application for EU membership. Turkey was not accepted as a candidate state until December 1999.

Both the Greek and Cypriot embassies in Brussels have rallied to Poos' defence. "This was an unprecedented and ethically unacceptable attack on a distinguished politician," said Cypriot spokesman Stavros Papayanneas.

The Union's external relations officials have long regarded the future of Cyprus as one of the trickiest issues bedevilling the whole enlargement process.

Luxembourg's former foreign minister Jacques Poos has accused the Turkish government of launching an unwarranted attack against him by stating that he had 'private connections' with the Greek Cypriot administration.