| Author (Person) | Cronin, David |
|---|---|
| Series Title | European Voice |
| Series Details | Vol.9, No.38, 13.11.03, p16 |
| Publication Date | 13/11/2003 |
| Content Type | News |
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By David Cronin Date: 13/11/03 TURKEY'S envoy to Brussels has accused a coterie of EU commissioners of doctoring the latest enlargement monitoring report with a "provocative" warning that failure to resolve the Cyprus issue could hamper Ankara's chances of joining the Union. Oguz Demiralp said he could "clearly state" that the warning was not inserted by the officials who drafted the document, but at the behest of "one or two commissioners", whom he declined to name. "The provocative sentence will not serve the purpose of those who try to contribute to efforts to find a solution to the problem," he commented. "We are in the period of a pre-election campaign in the Turkish Republic of northern Cyprus so it could only be counterproductive." Voters are due to go to the polls in a general election in the Turkish-occupied north of the island on 14 December. The election is being keenly fought between supporters of a United Nations-brokered blueprint for unifying the island and those of veteran leader Rauf Denktash, who has strongly opposed the plan. Asked if he felt the Commission's statement could embolden those forces who are hostile to efforts to reach a settlement on Cyprus' future, Demiralp replied: "That is an assessment that could be made from a certain angle, although it is not necessarily my assessment. This [warning] is not an incentive but rather an element of discouragement for those who wish to find a solution to this problem." However, Commission enlargement spokesman Jean-Christophe Filori said "no request" had been made by any commissioner for the warning's inclusion. The statement in question, he added, was unchanged between a version of the document discussed by top-level advisors to the commissioners on Monday last week and that approved by the commissioners themselves two days later. "This statement should not come as a surprise," said Filori. "Even if it [the resolution of the Cyprus question] is not a formal accession criteria, it creates a problem The strange situation where one part of a member state is under effective control of a candidate country would be an unacceptable situation for several member states." Demiralp was responding to criticisms voiced by Enlargement Commissioner Günter Verheugen, who claimed last week that Turkey is "far, far away" from meeting the stipulated criteria for EU membership. While the Commission's 2003 report on Turkey acknowledges that some progress has been made towards improving the country's human rights record, it laments the slow pace of reforms. An issue of "great concern" identified in the paper is that Ankara has "not executed many judgements" of the European Court of Human Rights. One case cited is that of Cypriot woman Titina Loizodou, who moved from Kyrenia, northern Cyprus, to Nicosia in the early 1970s. Five years ago the Strasbourg-based court ruled that Turkey should pay her compensation as she has been unable to have access to her old home in Kyrenia due to the Turkish occupation. She has yet to be paid. According to Demiralp, the Loizodou case is a "political" one, which should not be considered in isolation. "There are other cases where we have no problem executing the Court ruling," he added. The ambassador insisted that Turkey is taking significant strides towards complying with the criteria and should be in a position to open formal negotiations with the Union by the end of 2004. "We will not miss our historic rendezvous next year," he declared. Oguz Demiralp, Turkey's envoy to the European Commission, is unhappy about the Commission's 2003 Regular Report on Turkey's progress towards accession, published on 5 November 2003, which warns that there will be a 'serious obstacle' to starting formal accession talks with the Turkey if no settlement is reached over the divided island of Cyprus by 2004. Mr Demiralp condemned the warning as 'provocative' and claimed it was not inserted by the officials drafting the document, but added later at the request of 'one or two Commissioners' he declined to name. |
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| Countries / Regions | Turkey |
