BRUSSELS/ANKARA, 10 June 2006 — Cyprus blocked agreement among European Union states yesterday on the first detailed accession negotiations with Turkey, casting doubt on planned ministerial talks on Monday. “The presidency regrets that we could not reach unanimous agreement on the common position for the first chapter with Turkey,” a spokesman for the EU’s Austrian presidency said. The issue will now go to EU foreign ministers, meeting in Luxembourg on Monday, he said.
Cyprus said it would not allow the EU to conclude the first and easiest of 35 detailed policy “chapters” with Turkey, on science and research, without a reference to Ankara’s obligation to recognize and normalize ties with Nicosia. “We will neither agree to open or close it on present performance. We want an explicit reference,” outgoing Cypriot Foreign Minister Georgios Iacovou told Reuters in Nicosia.
“This is not just a technical matter ... Turkey has not only not implemented (its commitments) but shredded them and placed them in the dustbin,” he said. Turkey, which has 35,000 troops in Turkish-Cypriot northern Cyprus, does not recognize the Nicosia government and says normalization should be linked to a UN peace plan to reunite the divided island, which the Greek-Cypriots rejected in 2004.
Meanwhile, Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyianni arrived in Istanbul yesterday afternoon where she will sign an agreement to set up a “hot line” between the Greek and Turkish air forces as part of ongoing confidence-building measures.
The deal is to be signed today in Istanbul during talks with her Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul. The dedicated telephone line will link the operational air bases of Larissa in Greece and Eskisehir in Turkey, the Anatolia news agency reported.
The agreement comes just a few week after Greek and Turkish fighter jets collided in midair over the Aegean Sea on May 23, killing the Greek pilot. The Turkish pilot ejected safely. Both countries were quick to downplay the incident, with Greece saying it remained committed to supporting Turkey’s aspirations to join the European Union.
