Turkish-Cypriot leader visitsEurope in wake of EU tensions
NICOSIA (AFP) – Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat is to visit the Netherlands and Belgium after the threatened suspension of part of Turkey’s accession talks with the European Union, officials said Saturday. Talat was invited by Dutch Foreign Minister Bernard Bot to visit The Hague on Thursday, his office in Nicosia said. On Friday Talat will meet European Commissioner for Enlargement Olli Rehn in Brussels before returning to Turkish-occupied northern Cyprus. The Turkish-Cypriot leader’s visit comes after the European Commission on Wednesday recommended the suspension of eight of the 35 policy chapters which all candidate nations must complete, which would effectively stall Ankara’s bid to join the bloc. The European accession talks with Turkey, the only country to recognize the breakaway statelet, began in 2005. Wednesday’s recommendation followed Turkey’s refusal to open its airports and ports to Greek-Cypriot aircraft and ships flying the flag of Cyprus, the internationally recognized government of the island. On December 11 EU foreign ministers will now decide whether to implement the Commission’s recommendation. President Tassos Papadopoulos criticized the EU on Thursday for not taking stronger action over Turkey’s refusal to open its ports to traffic registered in the island. But Ankara says the 25-nation bloc – which includes Cyprus – must first keep its 2004 promise to ease the economic isolation of the breakaway north. Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkish troops occupied the island’s northern third following a Greek-Cypriot coup in Nicosia seeking union with Greece.
