Cyprus and Nine Other Nations Sign EU Treaty of Accession
April 18, 2003 Washington, D.C. - Cyprus President Tassos Papadopoulos joined the leaders of nine other countries in signing the EU treaty of accession, which will lead to the formal entry of the countries into the bloc on May 1, 2004, following ratification of the treaty by the parliaments of the 15 EU member nations and by referendums in each of the prospective new member states.
In addition to Cyprus, the signatories were the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia. The signing ceremony in Athens, under Greece's EU presidency, marked the largest expansion of the union since the six-member European Economic Community was formed in 1958.
The leaders of Bulgaria and Romania, EU candidates that are now conducting accession negotiations and hope to become members in 2007, were also present. Turkey, which is an EU candidate, but has not yet begun accession negotiations, was represented at the ceremony by Turkey's Ambassador to Greece Yigit Alpogan, rather than by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who did not travel to Athens.
Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, taking Erdogan's place, arrived in Athens after the signing ceremony, attending the banquet that followed it and the European Conference meeting the next day on the future institutions and constitution of an expanded bloc. The absence of Erdogan and Gul during the ceremony was viewed as a reflection of Turkish displeasure that Cyprus had been allowed to sign the treaty despite the lack of a settlement to reunify the country. Gul stated that his presence in Athens did not signal recognition of the Republic of Cyprus by Turkey.
At the signing ceremony, Papadopoulos said he regretted that the Turkish Cypriots had been prevented from proceeding with the Greek Cypriots, within the framework of a reunited Cyprus, on the way to Europe. He reiterated his commitment to achieving the reunification of Cyprus, despite the country's impending accession to the EU. Gul, during his stay in Athens, also said his government would continue efforts toward resolving the Cyprus problem.
Both the Turkish government and the Turkish Cypriot administration stated that the signing of the treaty of accession by Cyprus was an invalid and illegal act. They maintain that the 1959-1960 London-Zurich Agreements establishing the Republic of Cyprus prohibit Cyprus from joining international organizations of which Turkey and Greece are not both members.
Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash stated that the signing of the treaty had effectively sealed the partition of Cyprus, adding that the country's reunification would only be possible if Turkey were to enter the bloc at the same time as Cyprus.
In northern Cyprus, some 100 supporters of the opposition Patriotic Unity Movement (PUM), led by Alpay Durduran, celebrated the signing of the accession treaty by Papadopoulos. Mehmet Ali Talat of the Turkish Republican Party, considered the main opposition party in the north, criticized the move by the PUM. Talat, who is believed to be grooming himself to become Denktash's successor, had been instrumental in planning massive Turkish Cypriot demonstrations calling on Denktash to endorse U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan's plan for the reunification of Cyprus.
The U.N. Security Council on April 14 passed a resolution placing the blame for the collapse of Cyprus negotiations on Denktash and urging that talks resume on the basis of Annan's plan. Denktash has rejected the plan as a basis for continued negotiations.
U.N. Report Blames Turkish Side for Failure to Reach Settlement
April 11, 2003 Washington, D.C. - U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, in a report to the Security Council on more than three years of U.N.-sponsored negotiations at a cost of over $3 million, placed the "prime responsibility" for the failure to achieve a reunification settlement through the most recent U.N. plan on Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash.
Annan noted, however, that, from late 1999 to March 11, 2003, the period covered by the negotiations, there had been many missed opportunities and "both sides bear a share of the blame for those failures." He said that the Greek Cypriots and the Turkish Cypriots had done little over the years to prepare their respective publics for the compromises that a settlement would involve.
The secretary general stated that, "except for a very few instances, Mr. Denktash by-and-large declined to engage in negotiations on the basis of give and take." Annan said he had never been able to convince Denktash that the "realities" of the Cyprus problem were not only the circumstances on the ground since 1974, as the Turkish side had long maintained, but also the realities of international law and international politics.
Annan stated that former Cyprus president Glafcos Clerides had shown a willingness to find ways to circumvent ideological barriers and solve problems in a practical way, while showing a capacity to accept that his side "bore its share of responsibility for the bitter experiences of the past." The secretary general noted that Clerides' successor, Tassos Papadopoulos, had reiterated his continued desire to seek a settlement on the basis of the plan proposed by Annan, even after Cyprus accedes to the European Union in 2004.
Annan also noted that Denktash had not accepted the fact that there has been "a sea change from the confrontational atmosphere of the 1960s" to the Europe that Cyprus is joining. He described the Turkish Cypriot leader as being "strongly resistant to the United Nations playing a substantive role [in the peace effort] and, in this, he received the full support of Turkey."
The secretary general said that, while Greece had offered continuous strong support for the U.N. negotiations, it was only during the last few months of the negotiating process that Turkish government officials had "seriously engaged in the substance of the [Cyprus] issue." He expressed the hope that Turkey would support the search for a settlement since, without that support, it would be difficult to foresee one being reached.
Annan restated that his plan remains on the table, but he said he would not take any new initiatives toward negotiating a settlement unless there is the "political will for a successful outcome."
He noted that the plan included 250 pages of
finalized laws, as well as 6,000 pages of draft laws and 1,954 treaties
and instruments necessary to finalize the plan, which had been submitted
to committees for consideration. He also stated that the U.N. had received
1,506 entries for the flag competition for a reunified Cyprus and 111
suggested national anthems from entrants in over 50 countries.
U.S. House of Representatives Places Blame on Denktash for Settlement Failure
The House of Representatives voted 422-0 to pass House Resolution 165 stating that the Annan settlement plan failed when Denktash rejected the proposals in the plan and refused to refer it to the Turkish Cypriot people in a referendum.
The House expressed its "very strong regret" that Denktash had rejected the plan and, by also rejecting a referendum, had denied the members of the Turkish Cypriot community the opportunity to determine their future.
The resolution encouraged Cyprus President Tassos Papadopoulos and Denktash to renew their efforts to reach a Cyprus settlement based on the Annan plan. In addition, it urged the governments of Turkey and Greece to do everything possible to support the settlement process, while specifically calling on Turkey to help persuade Denktash to reach a reunification agreement that would serve the interests of both the Greek Cypriots and the Turkish Cypriots.
The resolution stated that a solution to the Cyprus problem was in the strategic interests of the United States, given the important location of the country at the crossroads of Europe, Africa, and Asia.
Reiterating U.S. support for the efforts of the U.N.
secretary general to achieve a comprehensive Cyprus settlement, the
resolution said that Washington remained committed to giving any
assistance necessary for reaching an agreement. It also urged the U.S.
government and others to redouble their efforts toward concluding a
settlement.
Turkey Objects to "Republic of Cyprus" Reference in EU Accession Protocol
Greece, as the current president of the European Union, has rejected Turkey's demand that references to "the Republic of Cyprus" in an EU accession protocol be changed to "Cyprus." The protocol, concerning the suspension of the acquis communautaire in northern Cyprus once the country joins the EU, will be an annex of the treaty when it is signed in Athens on April 16 by all 10 of the prospective new members of the bloc, including Cyprus.
Turkey does not recognize the Republic of Cyprus, which is recognized by the United Nations as the sole legitimate government of Cyprus.
In a letter to Greek Foreign Minister George Papandreou and his 14 European counterparts, Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul stated that the protocol continued "to give credence to the Greek Cypriot contentions and arguments that the party which is to integrate with the EU is the Republic of Cyprus and that the Turkish Cypriot community would be entitled to join this Republic in due course."
Gul said that the wording in the protocol was a deviation from the fundamental principle of Annan's settlement plan, which envisaged establishing a new "state of affairs" in "Cyprus." The plan was rejected by Denktash.
In response to Gul's letter, Papandreou replied that
the contents of the protocol reflected a position concerning Cyprus's
impending membership that had been agreed upon by the 15 EU member states
and sent to the European Parliament for approval.
Denktash Pondering Settlement of Varosha by Non-Greek Cypriots
Denktash stated that he is considering opening Varosha, a suburb of Famagusta in northern Cyprus that has been a virtual ghost town since 1974, to rebuilding and resettlement by non-Greek Cypriots.
Before 1974, the suburb was a Greek Cypriot tourist resort with a population of about 65,000 people. The cost of rebuilding Varosha has been estimated at $1.5 billion.
Varosha, however, is under the sole control of the Turkish military and has been since 1974. Neither Denktash nor the Turkish Cypriot administration has the authority to negotiate the status of Varosha, including its resettlement, without the approval of the Turkish General Staff.
U.N. Security Council Resolution 550, passed in 1984, states that any attempt "to settle any part of Varosha (Famagusta) by people other than its inhabitants is inadmissible."
Denktash Proposes Confidence-Building Measures as Basis for Restarting Negotiations
April 4, 2003 Washington, D.C. - Three weeks after his rejection of a U.N. plan to negotiate a comprehensive Cyprus settlement, Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash proposed six confidence-building measures that he stated could serve as a basis for restarting a dialogue with Greek Cypriots and as a catalyst for concluding a settlement.
In his response to Denktash, Cyprus President Tassos Papadopoulos indicated that he would resume talks with the Turkish Cypriot leader only under the auspices of the United Nations, which has conducted negotiations between the Cyprus government and the Turkish Cypriot administration since 1974. Papadopoulos also called on Denktash to accept the settlement plan of U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan as a basis for further negotiations.
The measures proposed by Denktash are: transferring Varosha, a Greek Cypriot suburb of Famagusta in the north, which has been under Turkish military control since 1974, to Greek Cypriot control to be opened for resettlement; lifting the restrictions on overseas trade, transport, travel, and cultural and sport activities from or to both parts of Cyprus; facilitating freedom of movement between the north and south, including tourist traffic; taking gradual steps toward the normalization of the flow of goods between the two sides; lifting the restrictions on the movement of U.N. peacekeeping troops in the north, which were imposed by the Turkish Cypriot administration in July 2000; and establishing a reconciliation committee composed of both Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots.
Denktash, who sent a copy of his April 2 proposals to Annan, stated that he was prepared to discuss with Papadopoulos how the two sides could benefit from the assistance of the United Nations and the European Union in the implementation of the measures. He noted, however, that he did not consider it necessary for them to be negotiated within the framework of the U.N. peace process.
While the Turkish Foreign Ministry expressed support for Denktash's proposals, calling on the U.N. and the EU to encourage the two sides to implement them, the Greek government reaffirmed Papadopoulos's position that further settlement negotiations must be carried out specifically within the U.N. framework.
At the end of March, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan proposed that settlement talks begin between Papadopoulos, Denktash, and representatives of Cyprus's three guarantor powers, Greece, Turkey, and Cyprus, outside the auspices of the United Nations. While Denktash backed the proposal, the Cyprus government rejected it.
Erdogan and Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, stating that they wanted to launch an initiative for the resumption of negotiations, asked Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis and Foreign Minister George Papandreou to meet with them on April 9 on the sidelines of a summit of leaders of southeastern European countries in Belgrade to discuss prospects for new talks. The Greek officials declined the proposal since it was outside the U.N. framework.
Denktash warned that the chances of making progress toward a settlement will diminish if Cyprus signs the EU treaty of accession in Athens on April 16, opening the way for its entry into the bloc in May 2004. EU laws and benefits resulting from accession will not apply to the Turkish-occupied north until a reunification settlement is reached.
Once Cyprus signs the treaty, representatives of the Cyprus government, as well as those of the other nine countries acceding to the bloc, will participate in all EU meetings and proceedings over the next year until it becomes a member in May 2004, following the process of ratifying the treaty in the 15 member countries and the 10 candidate nations.
New Pressures on Turkey's EU Aspirations, Relations with Northern Cyprus
European Commission spokesman Jean-Christophe Filori said it would be difficult for the Commission to recommend an opening date for Turkey's EU accession talks, following its scheduled December 2004 review of Ankara's preparedness for the beginning of negotiations, if no Cyprus settlement were reached by then.
Not only would part of EU territory be under illegal occupation, he said, but Turkey also does not recognize Cyprus now and has said that it would not recognize the country if it became an EU member without the participation of the Turkish Cypriots.
The official confirmed that Cyprus's EU accession process would continue as scheduled, with the signing of the EU treaty of accession on April 16 in preparation for membership in May 2004. Upon accession, EU laws will not apply to northern Cyprus unless reunification takes place before then.
Cyprus is slated to join the EU along with nine other countries. Once the treaty of accession is signed, its membership is assured unless a current EU member does not ratify the treaty by May 2004, which is considered unlikely. The lack of a Cyprus settlement would mean that the country would become an EU member without resolving the security dilemma posed by the presence of 35,000 Turkish troops in the northern part of the country.
If Turkey, in the absence of a settlement by May 2004, decides to recognize Cyprus to enhance its chances of opening accession talks with the EU, it will necessitate the end of its recognition of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, established unilaterally by Denktash in November 1983 and recognized only by Ankara for just over 19 years. Under these circumstances, Denktash must prepare for an end to the recognition of his regime by his only ally.