Cyprus Mail, Cyprus
Dec 3 2004

Turkey `right to reject recognition’
By Simon Bahceli

Politicians in the north believe it would hinder chances for a
solution

TURKISH Cypriot political leaders have expressed concern over the
mounting pressure on Turkey to recognise the Republic of Cyprus
before negotiations leading to EU accession can begin.

While it now seems unlikely the recognition issue will be used as a
reason not to give Turkey a date for the start of accession at the EU
summit on December 17, it appears equally likely that talks will not
be allowed to begin in earnest until Turkey recognises Cyprus.
Observers believe accession negotiations will begin either mid-2005
or at the beginning of 2006.

`Foreign minister’ Serdar Denktash strongly rejected the idea that
Turkey would recognise the Cyprus Republic before a solution had been
found to the island’s division saying, `The Cyprus Republic is under
occupation by the Greek Cypriots, so there is no way Turkey will
recognise it before a solution to the problem has been found’.

These sentiments were echoed by leader Mehmet Ali Talat who said,
`Not a single Turkish Cypriot is in the Cyprus government, not a
single Turkish Cypriot is in the civil service, so how can Turkey
recognise such a state as the only and legitimate one on Cyprus?’

He added that forcing Turkey to recognise the Republic before a
solution to the island’s problem had been found would be `illogical
and counterproductive’.

Peace and Democracy Movement (BDH) leader Mustafa Akinci said too
that he believed immediate recognition could have a negative impact
on efforts to find a solution to the Cyprus problem.

`I don’t believe Turkey will recognise the Cyprus Republic before
December 17. If the Cyprus problem is not solved during the period
following that date, Turkey will end up being forced to recognise a
Greek Cypriot-dominated Cyprus Republic’.

The result of such a development would be deeply detrimental to the
Turkish Cypriot community, he said, and proposed urgent but `limited
discussions’ between the two communities aimed at securing changes in
the Annan plan that would make it palatable to the Greek Cypriots.

`This should be done without harming the Turkish Cypriot `yes’ vote,’
Akinci said, adding that the worse case scenario would be one where
the issue of what to do about the Turkish Cypriot community was `put
in the deep freeze’ pending the outcome of negotiations between
Turkey and the EU.

Communal Liberation Party (TKP) leader Huseyin Angolemli said he
advocated going a step further.

`We should declare ourselves the Turkish Cypriot state,’ he said,
referring to the set-up Turkish Cypriots overwhelmingly backed in the
referendum on the Annan plan earlier this year. He believes such an
approach would not only save the Turkish Cypriot community from
eventual absorption, as a minority, into a Greek Cypriot Republic,
but would also ease Turkey’s entry to the EU.

United Cyprus Party (BKP) leader Izzet Izcan said he believed there
were other ways around the problem and pointed to Turkey’s relations
with Armenia as a possible way forward. Turkey recognises Armenia,
but refuses to establish diplomatic relations with the country. In a
similar way, Turkey could recognise Armenia as a state while not
recognising it politically.

According to sources, the possibilities of using such an approach are
being studied by the Turkish government.

National Unity Party (UBP) leader Dervish Eroglu, taking a
traditionally hardline approach, believes Turkish recognition of the
Cyprus Republic would by definition result in the nullification of
the `TRNC’ and called on Turkish Cypriots to do all they could to
prevent Turkey from taking steps to recognise Cyprus.

`We have to take a stance against recognition. There is nothing else
that can be done,’ he said. He admitted, however, that the final
decision rested not with the Turkish Cypriots but with Turkey.