ERDOGAN: “THERE’S SOME RISK THE CYPRUS AGREEMENT WON’T BE PART OF EU LAW”

Speaking at his party’s group meeting yesterday, Prime Minister and ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan conceded that Turkey had fallen short of its goal to make a possible Cyprus agreement part of the European Union’s primary law. “Undoubtedly, there is some risk in this uncertainty,” said Erdogan. “But I think that at each step of talks over the island, we have strongly and effectively defended not only Turkey’s position but also that of the Turkish Cypriots.” Erdogan said that the AKP government had begun the negotiating process from the standpoint that a solution had to be found to the Cyprus dispute and that politics was the art of producing solutions rather than problems. “We stated that in order to reach a just and lasting peace, the fact that two separate nations and two different democracies exist on the island should be taken into consideration,” said the premier. “Turkey has shown the utmost sensitivity to protecting its rights and status as a guarantor nation.” The premier said that despite Ankara’s steps taken towards a resolution, there were some circles which wanted to block this goal. Adding that the plan had some shortcomings, Erdogan asked, “Has anybody ever seen a 100% satisfactory settlement in international negotiations? A glance at history will show the importance of this agreement.” /Aksam/

GUL BRIEFS PARLIAMENT ON CYPRUS PLAN, RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

Addressing Parliament’s General Assembly yesterday on recent developments on the Cyprus issue and the UN Cyprus plan, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul charged that the Greek Cypriot side had been intransigent during the recent landmark negotiations in Switzerland. “We could have just walked away right there,” he said. “But since we are thinking of the Turkish Cypriots’ future, we stayed to continue the talks.” He stated that an issue of historical importance such as Cyprus should be evaluated using common sense, adding that everybody had the responsibility to do this. “When we came into office in 2002, stopping Greek Cyprus’ European Union accession was an impossibility,” added Gul. Also addressing the Parliament, main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) Deputy Chairman Onur Oymen criticized the government’s Cyprus policy, charging that it had sacrificed the island in order to get a date from the EU to begin its accession talks, something which wasn’t even definite. /Cumhuriyet/
 

TRNC PRESIDENT DENKTAS MEETS WITH SEZER, ERDOGAN

Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Rauf Denktas yesterday arrived in Ankara to hold contacts on the Cyprus issue. Denktas first met with President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, and then with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul was also present at the meeting. The leaders reportedly exchanged views on the final version of the Cyprus plan, and they agreed to continue a close dialogue in the days to come. /Turkiye/

ARINC: “SOME ELEMENTS OF THE CYPRUS PLAN ARE DISAPPOINTING, BUT A REUNIFIED ISLAND SHOULD JOIN THE EU IN MAY”

Speaking to a meeting of European parliamentarians in Istanbul yesterday, Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc said that though he found some points in the UN Cyprus plan disappointing, he believes a reunified island should join the European Union on May 1. Touching on referendums on the plan scheduled for April 24, Arinc said that the decision of the Turkish Cypriots would affect the decision of Ankara’s Parliament, which also must approve the plan for it to go forward. “I believe that the Turkish Cypriots will make the best decision for themselves,” he added. Later, Arinc attended the 52nd meeting of the Turkey-European Union Joint Parliamentary Commission in Izmir. In related news, Arinc is due to leave for Syria today to pay an official visit. /Cumhuriyet/
 

TRNC PREMIER TALAT: “WE CAN SAY ‘YES’ TO THE CYPRUS PLAN”

Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Prime Minister and Republican Turkish Party (CTP) leader Mehmet Ali Talat said yesterday that final version of the United Nations’ Cyprus plan was, on balance, acceptable. “Although there are certain shortcomings,” said Talat, “the plan is one that many Turkish and Greek Cypriots alike can say ‘yes’ to.” Speaking at a meeting on the island, Talat stated that his party would try to convince the Cypriots to accept the plan. Meanwhile, the CTP, the senior partner in the TRNC coalition government, yesterday held an extraordinary general meeting to clarify its stance in the runup to the April 24 referendums on the island. The delegates unanimously approved the CTP Party Assembly’s recommendation to approve the plan in the TRNC referendum. In related new, Special UN Cyprus Envoy Alvaro de Soto is set to meet with Talat today. Speaking to reporters, de Soto stressed that the UN plan was a just and practical one which took both sides’ concerns into consideration, and further urged both sides on the island to approve it. /Hurriyet//
 

US’ WESTON: “WHATEVER THE RESULTS OF CYPRUS REFERENDUMS, ANKARA SHOULD GET A DATE FOR ITS EU TALKS”

US State Department Cyprus Envoy Thomas Weston said yesterday that if the island’s Greek Cypriots fail to accept the UN’s Cyprus plan in an April 24 referendum, Turkey should not be made to pay the price with roadblocks to its getting a date to start its European Union membership negotiations. "The increasing consensus among the other EU member countries is that if Turkey fulfills its responsibilities and there is still no resolution because of the Cypriot Greek side's refusal in the referendum, then under these circumstances a Turkey that has fulfilled the Copenhagen Criteria should not be allowed to remain outside of the EU," Weston told a Washington press conference. Weston further praised the Turkish side’s pivotal cooperation in progress towards a settlement, adding that a Greek rejection of the UN plan would be a major setback for all concerned. When Cypriots know more about the plan, said Weston, they will be more likely to vote yes on it. /Turkiye/
 

EU COUNTRIES TO URGE GREEK CYPRIOT ACCEPTANCE OF PLAN

European Union member countries are reportedly set to start a campaign to convince Greek Cypriots to approve the UN’s Cyprus plan in a referendum set to be held on April 24. Greek daily Politis said yesterday that EU countries were coordinating their efforts to persuade the Greek Cypriots, whose nation is due to join the Union on May 1. The article said that Great Britain, one of the island’s guarantor nations, was leading this campaign and had prepared a three-page document intended to allay the Greek side’s concerns about the plan and highlight its advantages. Another Greek daily, Fileleftheros, also reported that the European Commission and the European Parliament were planning to hold a joint meeting three days before the referendums on the island to convince both Turkish and Greek Cypriots to approve the plan. /Turkiye/
 

FROM THE COLUMNS … FROM THE COLUMNS … FROM THE COLUMNS

THE NSC SPEAKS
BY FIFRET BILA (MILLIYET)

Columnist Fikret Bila comments on the National Security Council’s statement on Cyprus this week. A summary of his column is as follows:

“The National Security Council’s (NSC) Monday statement on Cyprus shows that though full consensus between the president, the government and the military proved elusive, this won’t stand in the way of the referendum process. It stressed that the peace process’ beginning and continuation is the government’s responsibility, and that UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s Cyprus plan has both positive and negative aspects. The NSC stressed three key points:

Guaranteeing that the solution becomes a part of European Union law. 2. The possibility of problems in implementation. Taking pains over the continuation of the Turkish presence, Turkey’s role as guarantor, and bizonality.

It also stated that the decision to hold the referendum is the government’s responsibility. It’s clear that these points don’t come from the NSC’s government wing. The government has already stated that it favors the UN plan and a yes vote in the referendum. We can say that the above points belong to the presidential and military wings. It wouldn’t be realistic to expect a different decision from the NSC. It also wasn’t possible to ask the government to change its policies at this stage. Under these circumstances, the NSC made clear suggestions and released a statement evaluating the situation. Stressing that it was the government’s understanding and responsibility, the NSC left the decision up to it, which was the right thing to do.

Could the first legal problem highlighted in the statement be solved by May 1? The best way would be approval of the plan by the EU member countries’ Parliaments, but this happening by May 1 is clearly no go. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has already stated that there’s no full guarantee on this. Could there be a solution to this issue, as the NSC considers it important? One suggestion reflected by the NSC is this: ‘If both sides approve the referendum, its validity should be delayed until a future date.’ What chances are there of this suggestion going forward? Not good. If both sides vote ‘yes,’ then the Greeks would have the initiative. Making the advantages for the Turkish side a part of the island’s primary law wouldn’t be a problem for the Greeks. On the contrary, a weak solution would be in their favor.”