Turkey Exults in Greek Cypriot Discomfort

25/04/2004| IslamWeb

Turkey proclaimed its biggest diplomatic victory in 50 years Sunday after Turkish northern Cyprus voted for a U.N.-backed reunification plan and Greek Cypriots reaped international criticism by rejecting it. EU Enlargement Commissioner Guenter Verheugen said the result meant Greek Cyprus would enter the bloc under a "shadow" on May 1. EU officials said though Turkish Cypriots were now excluded, the union might move to ease harsh sanctions on them. Generations of heavy-handed Cyprus diplomacy, fired by a strongly nationalist establishment, has seen Turkey and its Cypriot client state frequently portrayed as the obstacles to settlement. But Saturday's referendums, after 30 years of partition, marked a profound sea-change for Turkey, which nourishes its own ambitions to join the EU. The vote could improve its chances of winning a date this December for entry talks. "Now we have changed the image of the Turkish Cypriots as the ones who run away from a solution," Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan told a meeting of his ruling party. "This is the most successful event in the last 50 years of Turkish diplomacy." The question is whether Turkey can translate sympathy into concrete political and diplomatic gain, easing the plight of a norther Cypriot state recognized only by Ankara. The respected Greek Cypriot newspaper Politis, which supported reunification, said there needed to be an urgent review of policies to deal with world disapproval and Turkey's campaign to end northern Cyprus's international isolation. "We have been on the receiving end of thunderbolts from the international community since last night," columnist Dionysis Dionysiou wrote. Erdogan said Greek Cypriots missed a "historic" chance to reunite the island and end tension that has ruled since a 1974 Turkish invasion in response to a militant Greek Cypriot coup aimed at union with Greece. "A new situation has emerged on the island. I believe the international community will assess the new situation and the isolation of the TRNC (Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus) will come to an end," Erdogan said. **CUT OFF FROM THE WORLD*** The long-festering Cyprus problem, which has brought NATO partners Turkey and Greece to the verge of war on two occasions, will now be "imported" into the EU on May 1. "The political damage is large," EU Enlargement Commissioner Verheugen said. The United States, which has said it would not leave the Turkish Cypriots out in the cold if they approved the plan for a loose association of two largely autonomous zones, expressed disappointment at the Greek Cypriot "No." It pointedly singled out Turkish Cypriots for praise over their vote. The Turkish Cypriots, comprising less than 200,000 of the island's 800,000 people, are poorer than the Greek Cypriots in the south. They labor under sanctions that limit international links from sport to trade and communications. Many Greek Cypriots believed the deal, though it would have allowed more than 100,000 to return to homes under Greek Cypriot administration, did not cede them enough territory. They also felt it lacked sufficient security guarantees. Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said the Greek Cypriot rejection meant partition was now "permanent." But Greek Cypriot President Tassos Papadopoulos urged the Turkish Cypriots not to abandon efforts to reunite the island within the EU. **PHOTO CAPTION*** Turkish Cypriot Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Talat. (AFP/File/Tarik Tinazay)