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| Cyprus Does Not Want EU-Turkish Relations in Crisis |
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Cypriot Foreign Minister George Lillikas said Tuesday that Cyprus does not want a crisis in relations between Turkey and the European Union (EU), the semi-official Cyprus news agency reported. Lillikas made the remarks in Brussels during talks with his Finnish counterpart Erkki Tuomioja, whose country holds the EU's rotating presidency. The two men discussed Turkey's EU bid and the EU presidency's formula to avert a crisis in view of a progress report on Turkey's accession talks to be issued on Nov. 8 by the European Commission, the report said. The Cypriot government did not want a crisis because it had nothing to gain from a derailment of Turkey's EU accession course, Lillikas said, adding Nicosia, however, would not let Turkey gain benefits at the expense of Cyprus. According to the report, a Finnish formula provides for the opening of the Turkish occupied port of Famagusta in the north under EU administration for 24 months, in combination with the opening of Turkish ports to ships carrying the Cypriot flag. The Republic of Cyprus has urged Turkey to open its ports and airports to its traffic under a customs union protocol Ankara signed with the EU last year. But Turkey claims that it will not do so unless the EU's restriction on the breakaway Turkish Cypriot north is lifted. The Republic of Cyprus, which joined the EU on behalf of the whole island in May 2004, is able to block Turkey's entry talks with its veto. The EU formally launched talks with Turkey over the country's accession last October. The negotiations are expected to last at least a decade and Ankara is required to meet a number of criteria spelled out by the EU before entry. Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkey militarily intervened and occupied the north of Cyprus following a coup by a group of Greek officers. The Republic of Cyprus is internationally recognized while the breakaway north is only supported by Ankara. (Xinhua News Agency October 18, 2006)
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