PARIS, Aug 30: French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy made a new call on Tuesday for Turkey to recognise Cyprus but made clear Paris did not plan to block the start of Ankara’s entry talks with the European Union on Oct. 3.
“It is hardly conceivable that a country which is asking to enter a community refuses to recognise one of its members,” he told a conference of French ambassadors in Paris.
Douste-Blazy said Ankara must clarify its position on Cyprus, but added that France would “respect its commitments but expects Turkey and other candidate countries to respect theirs and satisfy the conditions for joining the Union”.
His comments followed remarks by President Jacques Chirac in the past few days which have signalled a hardening of the French leader’s position on Turkey in response to widespread public opposition to Turkish accession.
EU ambassadors will discuss on Wednesday how to respond to Turkey’s July 29 declaration refusing to recognise Cyprus. They will hear from the executive European Commission whether the statement has any legal bearing on Ankara’s agreement to extend its customs union to new EU members, including Cyprus.
Diplomats said no country seemed set to veto the opening of negotiations, but that Cyprus would press for an EU declaration spelling out that Turkey will be negotiating with all 25 EU members including Cyprus, represented by the Nicosia government.
Chirac has twice urged Turkey to clarify its stance on Cyprus and has asked it to offer assurances that it will carry out all its commitments to the EU, but he has also made clear Paris will not block the start of the negotiations.
Chirac backed the EU’s decision last December to invite Turkey to start entry talks but now appears determined to show he has taken account of French public opinion, which has swung strongly against Turkey’s entry bid.
French voters cited fears over large, mainly Muslim Turkey joining the 25-nation bloc as a reason for rejecting the EU’s constitution last May, a defeat which weakened Chirac on the international and domestic stage.
NO REQUESTS FOR DELAY: European foreign ministers meet on Thursday and Friday to discuss the negotiating framework for the entry talks. The informal meeting in Wales will give doubters such as France and Austria an opportunity to vent their concerns.
But European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said in an interview with Polish newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza that no member state had suggested delaying the start of Turkey’s talks.
“We must honour our word,” Barroso said in a speech in Warsaw on Tuesday, noting that EU leaders had reconfirmed their commitment to further enlargement, including with Turkey, after the French and Dutch “No” votes to the EU constitution.
Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn has stressed that Turkey has met the EU’s conditions for opening negotiations, noting that leaders had not made formal recognition of Cyprus a condition for starting talks.
Turkey cleared the last obstacle to starting the entry talks by signing what is known as the Ankara protocol last month, extending its customs union to new EU members including Cyprus.
But Ankara also issued a declaration making clear the signing of the protocol did not signify recognition of the Greek Cypriot government, regarded by Brussels as the sole legitimate authority on the island.
Turkey backs breakaway Turkish Cypriots in northern Cyprus.
Financial markets on Monday shrugged off the pressure for Turkey to clarify its stance on Cyprus and analysts said most fund managers expected the talks to start as planned.
Sami Kohen, a columnist in Milliyet newspaper, said France’s main aim seemed not to prevent talks starting on time but for the EU to produce a declaration to counter Ankara’s on Cyprus.
“It is not a matter of France using its veto against Turkey or of encouraging the Cypriot-Greek side to do so. French diplomacy is trying much more to win acceptance for the idea of a ‘counter declaration’,” he said. —Reuters