FT: NEED FOR CYPRUS SOLUTION MORE URGENT THAN ‘GENOCIDE’ DEBATES

The New Anatolian
Oct 17 2006

The need to find a solution to the Cyprus problem is more urgent than
debates on Armenian genocide claims for Turkey to join the European
Union, said British daily The Financial Times Monday.

In the commentary-analysis entitled "How the Cyprus problem is again a
snag for Europe," authors Vincent Boland and Kerin Hope said, "While a
row between the Turkish and French last week over recognition of the
1915 ‘genocide’ of Armenians has put another formidable obstacle in
the way of Turkey joining the EU;, Cyprus poses a much more immediate
difficulty. It is possible that, by the end of this year, the problem
will derail the admission of Turkey as a member — the EU’s most
ambitious and controversial geo-strategic project."

Describing the failure to find a solution to Cyprus dispute as "risky"
for the EU’s credibility and Turkey’s hopes to join the Union, the
newspaper also quoted Kirsty Hughes, author of a much-noted Friends
of Europe report on the issue last month as saying, "The EU’s overall
foreign policy credibility risks serious damage."

The Financial Times warned that in Turkey a failure in talks could
halt the country’s cultural march westward, which began 80 years ago
under the rule of Kemal Ataturk, founder of the Turkish Republic,
and instead empower Islamist and nationalist political forces.

"The continuing separation of Cyprus’ two communities by a
180 kilometer-long ‘Green Line’ — drawn on a map by a British
commander using a green pen — still confounds and preoccupies its
protagonists. A solution to the split is a task for the United Nations,
a fact that is accepted by all parties. But that job has been made
more complicated by the EU, which began membership talks with Turkey
last October, after having admitted [Greek] Cyprus as a member in
2004," the piece said, underlining that many EU diplomats now accept
that it was a mistake to allow Greek Cyprus to join at that stage,
particularly because of the influence the Greek Cypriot administration
has thus gained over negotiations with Turkey.