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Letter
written by M.Ergün Olgun, The Undersecetery Of
TRNC Presidency To The Editor Of “European Voice” issue dated
25 Sep., 2001
25
September, 2001
The
Editor
European
Voice
Rue
Montoyer, 17-19
1000
Bruxelles
Belgium
Dear
Sir,
I
have read with interest the article (Why EU Enlargement Will be a "Win-Win"
Situation for Cyprus, Greece
and Turkey) by Mr. George Vassiliou in your esteemed newspaper's
13-19 September 200I issue.
The
valid objections of the Turkish Cypriot party with regard to the Greek
Cypriot application for EU
membership, claiming to be on behalf of the whole of Cyprus,
need to be taken seriously and properly scrutinized.
Putting
aside the fact that the Greek Cypriot co-founder of the 1960 partnership
Republic of Cyprus has
violently thrown the Turkish Cypriot co-founder out and usurped
the title of the partnership, if, as claimed by the Greek Cypriot party, the
Republic of Cyprus still
stands, then that Republic, according to Article 1 of the 1960
Treaty of Guarantee has,
inter alia, undertaken not to participate, in whole or in part,
in any political or economic
union with any State whatsoever. Although the EU is not a state,
its aim is union between Member States. Accession of the so-called Republic
of Cyprus to
the EU will, as a result, amount to economic and political union with other
Member States, including
Greece. Nicos Anastasiades, the Head of the ruling DISI Party
has in fact admitted that EU membership would amount to indirect Enosis with
Greece.
In
addition, according to Article 5 of the Zurich Agreement of 11 February
1959, and under
the 1960 Constitution, the President (a Greek Cypriot elected by the Greek
Cypriot Community) and the
Vice-President (a Turkish Cypriot elected by the Turkish Cypriot
Community), both had the right to veto any law or decision concerning
"foreign affairs",
which also included the right to enter into international treaties,
conventions and agreements.
The excuse that the Turkish Cypriot Vice-President is not there
to protect the rights of Turkish Cypriots adds insult to injury. Making such
an accusation
after having violently thrown Turkish Cypriots out and having unilaterally
changed the unchangeable
provisions of the 1960 Constitution is nothing but dishonesty.
It
has to be noted that the crux of the Turkish Cypriot objection is not about
recognition, non-recognition,
sovereignty or representation. The point, which the EU Commission
consistently avoids to address, is that membership of the EU for the so
called Republic of Cyprus
would be incompatible with the Treaty of Guarantee, that the
Guarantors who are able to prevent it (the U.K. and Greece) are under an
obligation not to facilitate
the acquisition of such membership, and that this will remain
to be the case until the authorized exceptions by which that membership can
be legitimately
acquired are not respected.
Without
doubt, the EU s acceptance of the Greek Cypriot membership application
as a valid application for
the whole of Cyprus has had a devastating impact on efforts aimed
at the resolution of the Cyprus issue.
What
is needed now, more than ever before, is the establishment of a, new
partnership, to be based on
the sovereign equality of its two constituent partners, so that
a new joint organ able to represent Cyprus internationally emerges prior to
a joint effort
aimed at membership of the EU. The Greek Cypriot side should be discouraged
from joining the EU
unilaterally and under the claim that they represent the whole
island because this will
undoubtedly lead to the permanent division of the island (as also
admitted by Mr. George Vassiliou) and a lose-lose situation for all
concerned. In view
of the Greek threat to veto EU enlargement unless the so-called Republic of
Cyprus is admitted, the
possibility of non-agreement in Cyprus will create the worst enlargement
crisis for the EU that it has so far encountered. The challenge is bound to
have serious legal, security,
political, economic and even democratic ramifications.
The
EU has evolved, after the devastation of the Second World War, in order to
prevent, through
institutionalized partnership, future conflicts and wars between
European nations. The UN
Secretary-General's 12 September 2000 statement that the
purpose of the talks in Cyprus is the establishment of a new partnership
which will explicitly recognise the equal status of the two parties has
been unanimously rejected by
the Greek Cypriot House of Representatives. All of this is
happening at a time when we ,need the partnership of the two civilizations
of the Island,
and of the region, more than ever before.
The
Turkish Cypriot appeal to all EU member countries is for them to review
their policies vis-à-vis the
Island and the EU membership process. All we seek is justice, respect
for our rights as a sovereign equal and a win-win sustainable resolution of
the Cyprus
issue for peace and stability in the Island and in our region.
Yours
sincerely,
M.Ergün
Olgun
Under-Secretary
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