Cyprus News Agency: News in English (AM), 97-04-05

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From: The Cyprus News Agency at <http://www.cyna.org.cy>

CONTENTS

[01] EU official says history beckons Cyprus to heed its call

1130:CYPPRESS:01

[01] EU official says history beckons Cyprus to heed its call

Nicosia, Apr 5 (CNA) -- For the first time, Ankara is showing signs it is seriously contemplating breaking out of its hard shell regarding Cyprus, but the divide between thinking and acting is still very wide and fraught with hurdles, the leader of the Group of the European Liberal, Democrat and Reform Party (ELDR) told CNA in an exclusive interview.

ELDR President, Gijs de Vries said he has come out of Ankara in a recent visit with the impression the political hierarchy there is seriously thinking about making progress on the protracted Cyprus problem.

"I have returned from Ankara with the sentiment that more than in the past, there is serious thinking in Ankara. Of course, between thinking and moving there is still a difference, but, there is at least, serious attention paid to the possibilities to move on the Cyprus issue," de Vries said.

However, he said the major stumbling block for a Cyprus solution remains on Ankara, noting that the presence of some 35.000 Turkish troops in the island's occupied north is a tangible indication of that reality.

"The fact that they are still on the island is in itself an indication that the main problem lies in Ankara. Whatever the reasons for the original intervention, under any conceivable interpretation, they have long outstayed their welcome," de Vries said.

The ELDR President said a real opportunity has presented itself to Cyprus with the start of the Cyprus-European Union (EU) accession talks, six months after the end of the Intergovernmental Conference (IGC).

"The offer to open accession negotiations has injected an element of dynamism in a situation which has remained frozen for 23 years. I think we have an historic opportunity (and) its important not to let it go by. When history passes, one has to grab it by the coat tails," de Vries stressed.

He warned, however, that Cyprus must not consider it a foregone conclusion it will accede to the EU once negotiations start, if there is no progress in efforts to find a solution.

"Cyprus cannot take it for granted (it will accede), if there is no significant progress on the Cyprus question. It is hard-nosed realism to recognise that the chances of rapid accession for Cyprus increase with progress on the Cyprus issue," he noted.

The ELDR President pointed out mutual good will measures and military steps to enhance security along the buffer zone, as two things needed here to reduce tensions and create a more positive climate under which negotiations can take place.

"The time has come for a number of good will measures. Of course, they are no substitute for negotiations, but they will help improve the climate. There is value in process in politics, and I think what we must do now is to lock all parties into a process (which) creates a momentum from which there is no turning back," de Vries said.

He expressed his disappointment that Turkish occupation regime leader, Rauf Denktash, has turned down numerous EU offers to finance bicommunal projects aimed at building mutual good will between the two communities.

De Vries was also disappointed that UN Security Council resolutions recommending ways of de-escalating tensions on the demarcation line have not been heeded.

The ELDR President was optimistic, however, that President of the Republic, Glafcos Clerides and Denktash "would be willing to move to direct talks around the summer".

UN Resident Representative in Cyprus, Gustave Feissel, is currently engaged in proximity talks between President Clerides and Denktash to prepare the ground for face-to-face talks between the two.

De Vries was not so certain all the building blocks are now in place for a comprehensive solution to come about in Cyprus, because the two sides are still far apart on issues of substance.

"We are not quite over the bridge yet in terms of substance. I think most of the building blocks are in place and clearly the foundations are in place, (but) most of the walls and a number of windows need to be fitted and the roof is quite leaky for the time being," the ELDR President said.

De Vries noted that in light of the surge in popularity of Islamic fundamentalism in Turkey, the US and Europe are trying hard to anchor the country closer the West, something that has even raised the concern of the Turkish military in recent weeks.

"My impression is that the army in Turkey is increasingly concerned that the fundamentalist tide may be growing over the next decade or two," he said, adding that Turkey must focus on its human rights problem, its relationship with neighbouring Greece and the Cyprus problem in order to strengthen its ties with the West.

De Vries added that Cyprus is indeed moving up the military's agenda, but warned he was in no way raising hopes that an immediate breakthrough in Cyprus is around the corner.

The ELDR President noted the military remains "the most respected institution in Turkey", backed by public opinion polls which find that Turks "trust one institution above all others, and that's the military."

He added that the US has long had "very intimate ties" with the Turkish military since the Cold War because of Turkey's perceived strategic location.

"Therefore, the Americans will also have to put pressure on Ankara to (make progress) in Cyprus," de Vries said.

De Vries was not happy with recent threats issued by Turkey and Greece to veto EU and NATO decisions. Turkey has threatened to block NATO expansion into Eastern Europe and Greece to veto the EU's eastward enlargement in a game of political chess over the Cyprus issue.

"(Turkish Foreign Minister) Tansu Ciller's sabre-rattling is not only damaging Turkey's image abroad, it is also clearly counter-productive in the political sense. The Turks cannot expect to block either NATO expansion or the opening of accession negotiations with Cyprus. The Turks are making a big mistake in threatening to veto NATO expansion," the ELDR President said.

He was also critical of Greek Foreign Minister, Theodoros Pangalos' "shooting from the hip", with regard to Greek threats of blocking the accession of East European countries to the EU.

"The war of the vetos should stop. This is not helping the process insofar as the Greek threat is concerned (and) it is not gaining Cyprus any friends in Europe," de Vries added.

The ELDR is currently holding a Study Forum in Nicosia. It is the first time the Group is meeting outside an EU country.

ELDR delegates had the opportunity during their stay here to visit the demarcation line. De Vries called the line dividing the free from the occupied areas "a sad and poignant anachronism".

"It was like looking at a scar of history. It was like looking at a reality that should have been an historic reality a long time ago in the sense that the division of Cyprus is one of the few major problems that hasn't moved closer to a solution in recent years," he said.

The ELDR occupies the middle ground in the European Parliament between the Socialists and the Christian Democrats on either side. "We have a swing position in the sense that in the European Parliament, neither the Christian Democrats or the Socialists have an automatic majority. Both formations need our votes. So, that means we can use that tactical advantage a lever to increase our own role in the house," de Vries concluded.

CNA MH/AP/1997

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

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