Greece backs EU on Turkey, Balkan states
As Cyprus, France and the Netherlands blocked any progress with Ankara’s European Union talks before the end of the year, Greece yesterday stressed that its support for a partial freeze on Turkey’s negotiations had not strained bilateral ties. «Greece is following a very clear policy. In the face of all the difficulties being presented as Turkey struggles to take the necessary steps, our policy is focused and effective. I don’t see why it should affect Greek-Turkish relations,» Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis told a press conference at the end of an EU summit in Brussels. Greece’s approach to Turkey’s EU bid is «full compliance, full membership,» he said. Karamanlis was more upbeat about Romania and Bulgaria, who are due to join the bloc next month, stressing the importance of their accession. «This is a historically significant development for which Greece has worked hard and which will contribute decisively to peace and stability in the region,» the PM said. On the issue of further EU enlargement, Karamanlis said Greece was in favor but stressed the need for the deepening of a united Europe first. EU leaders attending the summit said they would be putting the brakes on further expansion after Romania and Bulgaria’s entry, possibly until the end of the decade. As for Turkey, a bid by EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn to open the next chapter in its accession talks – to prove that the process has not stalled – was thwarted yesterday by objections from Cyprus, France and the Netherlands. «Each member state continues to maintain its right to object to the opening of a negotiating chapter,» Cypriot President Tassos Papadopoulos was quoted as saying by the Cypriot state news agency. Meanwhile, the French and Dutch argued that it would send a confusing message to voters if the EU rewarded Turkey by starting a new round of negotiations at the same time as punishing it by freezing part of the talks. In a related development yesterday, the European Commission confirmed the allocation of -198 million in EU funding to the Turkish-occupied north of Cyprus. The funds, part of a 260-million-euro aid package, are to go toward improving infrastructure and fostering reconciliation with Greek Cypriots, the EC said. Speaking from New York, outgoing United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan reiterated his support for «lifting the isolation of the (Turkish-occupied) north.»
