George Gilson

 

A LIGHT slap on the wrist was the European Union’s response to Turkey’s continued failure to recognise the Republic of Cyprus and open its ports and airports to traffic from the island. 

 

The much touted review of Turkey’s candidacy to the EU - mandated by a December 2006 EU decision that froze eight negotiating chapters with Turkey - ended not with a bang but a whimper.

 

EU foreign ministers on December 8 merely expressed their “deep regret” that candidate-country Turkey will not extend the EU customs union to include Nicosia and refuses to normalise its relations with member-state Cyprus. 

 

The Foreign Affairs Council conclusion said that the EU will “continue to closely follow and review progress made” but warned that “progress is now expected without further delay”. 

 

However, the council gave no specific timeframe for Turkish compliance. That means that as far as the 27 EU states are concerned, Ankara can continue its negotiations unhindered by Cyprus, barring the eight frozen chapters.  

 

The only response by the Cypriot government to Turkey’s stance was a unilateral verbal declaration in the minutes of the foreign ministers’ meeting, that it retains the right to block the opening of individual chapters in the future. (The opening requires unanimous agreement by all members.) 

Cypriot Foreign Minister Markos Kyprianou listed six specific chapters relating to Ankara’s unfulfilled obligations which Cyprus will block if Turkey does not fulfil certain conditions to be set by Nicosia. The conditions were not disclosed.

 

In its report, the EU again urged Turkey to “actively support” Cyprus settlement talks and aim at a solution “in accordance with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions and in line with the principles on which the union is founded”. 

 

Both Cyprus and Greece had earlier signalled that they were not prepared to block Ankara’s further EU accession negotiations entirely. But the fact that they decided to finish up with an issue of significant national import at the foreign ministers’ meeting, rather than refer it to the December 10-11 EU summit, came as a surprise.  

 

Greek Alternate Foreign Minister Dimitris Droutsas, soon after Pasok came to power, had spoken of a “new roadmap for Turkey”, hinting that Greece would not seek sanctions in the EU’s December review of Ankara’s candidacy. But the roadmap idea seemed to imply a timetable, which now is totally absent. 

 

With the Swedish presidency of the EU, Britain and several other member states opposed to any further sanctions against Turkey, the Cypriot and Greek governments described as a relative success their ability to achieve firmer language in prodding Turkey to meet its obligations as a candidate-country. 

 

As far as Greece is concerned, the council underlined that “Turkey needs to commit itself unequivocally to good-neighbourly relations and to the peaceful settlement of disputes in accordance with the United Nations Charter, having recourse, if necessary, to the United Nations Charter”.

 

Droutsas told a December 8 news conference that the phrasing was the result of Greek pressure.

Many believe that Greece’s economic dire straits, for which it needs all the goodwill it can get from the EU, severely limits any room for diplomatic manoeuvre. Droutsas indirectly admitted as much. “Building the country’s international image and creating political capital cannot be achieved overnight,” he said.   

 

Droutsas said that he managed to change the Swedish presidency’s draft conclusions, deleting a reference that (Greek-Turkish) “bilateral disputes” should not affect membership talks. Instead, Turkey is urged to avoid “any kind of threat, source of friction or actions which could damage good-neighbourly relations and the peaceful settlement of disputes”. 

 

Greek diplomacy was especially pleased that it was able to include a reference stressing, in regard to Turkey, the sovereign rights of member states, in accordance with the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. The convention, to which Ankara is not a signatory, covers Greek sovereign rights in the Aegean. Droutsas stressed that a call for Turkey to ensure “freedom of religion in law and in practice for all religious communities” and to “respect property rights”, covered the rights of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.