Turkey Suggests April Deadline For Cyprus Agreement

by Lorys Charalambous, Tax-News.com, Cyprus

07 January 2003

Speaking last week, Turkey's Foreign Minister, Yasar Yakis suggested that the February 28 deadline agreed upon by the European Union for a solution to the Cyprus problem is an arbitrary choice, and that April 16, when the accession treaties with EU candidate countries are to be signed, would be a more realistic date for agreement.

Speaking on Turkish television, Mr Yakis observed that: 'February 28 is an artificial date. It does not reflect the expiration of any specific time. April 16 represents a more concrete deadline.'

According to reports, the reasoning behind the time-frame agreed upon at last month's Copenhagen summit was that if a solution is reached by February 28, a referendum on settlement and EU accession can be held at the end of the following month, which would potentially allow the entire island to accede to the European Union, as opposed to just the Greek Cypriot part.

Meanwhile, pressure is growing on all sides for the Turkish Cypriot leader, Rauf Denktash to abandon his rigid stance on the reunification of Cyprus, or to resign. Turkish Cypriots have recently come out in force to demonstrate their support for a settlement of some kind, and the newly elected Turkish government fears that failure to reach an agreement will irreparably damage its own chances of EU accession.

This was clearly demonstrated by recent remarks made on behalf of President Ahmet Necdet Sezer. According to the Cyprus Mail, speaking at a news conference, Presidential spokesman, Tacan Ildem announced that:

'The expectations of the Turkish Cypriot people are very important. Naturally, these expectations will shape the negotiations...[But] just as important as the expectations of the Turkish Cypriot people are Turkey's historical and legal rights in its capacity as both a guarantor power and a motherland. This should not be forgetten either. We hope the talks...will yield a concrete positive result with the good will of both sides.'

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