Stop Denktash obstruction, says Greek Cypriot foreign minister

Date: 10/04/03

By David Cronin

ANKARA should be doing more to rein in Rauf Denktash, the Turkish Cypriot leader, according to Greek Cypriot Foreign Minister George Iacovou.

In an interview with European Voice, Iacovou claimed that the Turkish government had a clear responsibility to ensure Denktash "does not cause the obstruction he has caused for the past few years".

The minister was speaking out after the publication of a report by United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, in which he stated that the veteran Turkish Cypriot leader bore "prime responsibility" for the failure of recent talks in The Hague, aimed at reaching a political settlement between the Cypriot communities ahead of the island's accession to the EU.

Iacovou said Turkey "has to realise its own national interest would be solved best by coming to an accommodation with Cyprus" as this would boost its own chances of being invited to hold formal negotiations on joining the Union.

He criticised Turkish premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan for his apparent volte face on the Annan plan for Cyprus. While Erdogan had been supportive before becoming prime minister, he has since argued that Annan was trying to "deceive" Turkish Cypriots by excluding key aspects of the deal for a new power-sharing federation on the island.

Erdogan's attitude was a shame, said Iacovou, because the Turkish Cypriots had been given "an opportunity to free-ride into the European Union".

He also expressed surprise that Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gül has urged the Union to use the word "Cyprus" rather than "Republic of Cyprus" in the protocol to the Accession Treaty due to be signed in Athens next Wednesday (16 April). The request, rejected by Greece's EU presidency, was made because Turkey has never recognised the Republic of Cyprus.

"There is no legal way of changing that [the text of the protocol]," Iacovou countered. "Surely Mr Gül knows that. This is just another firework to impress public opinion."

Iacovou also dismissed new ideas for a settlement floated by Denktash in a letter to Tassos Papadopoulos, president of the Greek Cypriot south, last week. These included a recommendation that the largely deserted town of Varosha would be placed under Greek Cypriot control in return for the Greek Cypriots lifting their embargo on the Turkish-occupied north.

He accused Denktash of attempting to "ostracize" the UN, despite references to the "good offices" of Annan. "It was very cleverly drafted and of course Mr Denktash's intention is to mislead, that's why he drafts so well," said Iacovou. "But the mission of the secretary-general emanates from various [UN] Security Council resolutions on Cyprus. And Mr Denktash has never accepted any part of those resolutions."

In a statement issued this week, Denktash laid much of the blame for the failure of peace talks on Alvaro de Soto, Annan's envoy to Cyprus. Dentkash said that de Soto had given an assurance in late 2001 he would merely be a fly on the wall in talks between the Turkish and Greek Cypriot leaders, reporting back to Annan. According to Denktash, this was a promise he never intended to keep: "Instead, he soon tried to acquire the status of "umpire", truly involved but also becoming part of the problem."

A Turkish diplomat described Iacovou's call for Ankara to exert greater influence on Denktash as "wishful thinking".

"Turkey's interests are known better by the Turkish authorities than by Greek Cypriots," the diplomat argued. "If there was a different stance from Erdogan while he was not yet prime minister compared to now, it's because he knows the file now. This is a highly delicate diplomatic question; it's necessary to know at least 50% of the file."

Ankara should be doing more to rein in Rauf Denktash, the Turkish Cypriot leader, according to Greek Cypriot Foreign Minister George Iacovou.