Last-ditch talks with Turkey over Cyprus fail
By Kathy Sweenie,WNS Finland Correspondent
TAMPERE - Last-ditch talks in Finland between the European Union and Turkey aimed at averting an EU crisis with Ankara over the Cyprus issue have failed, Finnish Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja said. "An agreement could not be reached," Tuomioja, whose country currently holds the rotating EU presidency, told reporters following talks held separately with the foreign ministers of Turkey, Abdullah Gul, and Cyprus, George Lillikas, in Tampere, in southern Finland. "There will be consequences" for Turkey's accession talks, Tuomioja said on Monday, adding: "Business as usual cannot continue."
The presidency said in a statement it would "immediately" begin discussions with the Commission on whether to suspend Turkey's EU accession negotiations. EU foreign ministers are expected to take a decision on the matter when they meet on December 11. Under a customs union agreement with the European Union, Turkey must open its ports and airports to Cyprus, whose Greek-Cypriot administration it does not recognise. Ankara refuses to do so until the 25-nation bloc keeps its promise to ease the international isolation of the island's breakaway Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), recognised only by Ankara.
Finland, which holds the EU presidency until the end of the year, has been trying to resolve the stalemate since September with a proposal that includes Turkey opening its ports and the EU trading directly with the self-proclaimed TRNC. The Finnish side has given Turkey until December 6 to abide by its commitments or risk at least partial suspension of its EU adhesion process which began in October 2005 but has slowed in recent months. Many EU watchers say a possible sanction would be the freezing of some of the 35 accession chapters which all EU candidate nations must satisfactorily complete before being allowed into the club. Cyprus has opposed this idea, saying it would have no effect as other chapters, on sectors unrelated to customs or trade, could be opened instead.
posted by wnsworld @ 3:01 PM
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