No deal yet on Turkey

Cyprus harbors last-minute misgivings over EU counter-declaration to Ankara

Turkish-Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat speaks yesterday at his monthly press briefing, saying that the EU stance would only obstruct a solution in Cyprus and cement the division.

By Marcin Grajewski - Reuters

BRUSSELS - European Union president Britain struggled yesterday to remove final obstacles before membership negotiations with Turkey can start in October.

New EU member Cyprus unexpectedly refused to rubber-stamp the bloc’s declaration responding to Turkey’s refusal to recognize the Mediterranean island, which was agreed late on Monday by the bloc’s envoys to Brussels.

But some diplomats said the snag was likely to be only temporary and could be removed today, when EU ambassadors meet again. If it is not, the EU may call an emergency meeting of its foreign ministers on September 26 to thrash out a deal.

Expectations of success were reinforced when Cypriot President Tassos Papadopoulos said in Nicosia that all 25 EU member states agreed that Turkey should start entry talks on October 3.

“There isn’t a country within the EU which says accession negotiations should not start on October 3,” he said.

The EU declaration from Monday made it clear that Turkey had to recognize Cyprus before the Muslim country joined the bloc, which diplomats say will happen in 10 years at the earliest.

“This is not over yet, I’m afraid,” said Jack Straw, foreign secretary of Britain, which hold the EU’s rotating presidency. He was speaking to reporters at the United Nations headquarters in New York.

Additionally, member states continued to haggle over final details of the “negotiating framework,” or technical ground rules for talks, which are to be presented to Turkey when talks start on October 3, along with the declaration.

Diplomats said Cyprus denied its final support for the declaration not because it wanted to toughen its text but because it had decided to await final approval of the negotiating framework for Turkey.

The agreed compromise read: “Recognition of all member states is a necessary component of the accession process.”

France and Austria held up agreement on the negotiating road-map with demands for tougher conditions.

Austria reiterated its demand for the negotiating framework to envisage “privileged partnership” between the EU and Turkey as a possible outcome of accession talks, rather than only full membership as Ankara demands.

France asked for safeguards against Turkey’s membership if the EU deems itself not to be fully ready for accession of the fast-growing, but economically impoverished country.

“There are now discussions taking place on other aspects of the negotiating framework, principally on this issue about absorption capacity and privileged partnership,” said Straw.

Turkey met its last obligation before accession talks with the EU could start when, in July, it extended its customs union deal with the bloc to all new member states, including Cyprus.

But Ankara has not opened its ports to Cypriot vessels, despite the accord, and issued a declaration refusing to recognize Cyprus.