SETimes.comTurkey, EU try to break deadlock over Cyprus
24/10/2006
A compromise proposal floated by Finland was under discussion last week. Also in diplomacy: UN envoy Martti Ahtisaari's mandate is extended for technical reasons, and the EU Council endorses the scheduled accession of Bulgaria and Romania.
Turkey and the EU held talks on a Finnish proposal to end the deadlock over allowing Cypriot vessels and planes into Turkish ports and airfields. The proposal reportedly calls for allowing partial access to Turkish ports in exchange for opening the Cypriot port of Famagusta, unused since Turkey invaded northern Cyprus in 1974.
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Romanian President Traian Basescu paid an official visit to India. He told Indian counterpart APJ Abdul Kalam that Bucharest views India as a foreign policy priority.
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UN special envoy Martti Ahtisaari's mandate was extended to June 2007. However, a UN spokesman said the extension is of a technical character and does not indicate that the Kosovo talks will be extended further.
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Britain's Ambassador to Macedonia, Robert Chatterton Dickson, told reporters at a news conference that the Macedonian government should concentrate on implementing reforms required for EU integration, rather than on the specific timetable for entry. He said Britain supports EU enlargement, and that Macedonia will become an EU member when it meets membership criteria.
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Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski invited Erhard Busek, the special co-ordinator of the Stability Pact for Southeast Europe, to advise the government on EU accession issues. Busek accepted the offer and said he believes Macedonia could be the next regional success story, following Bulgaria and Romania's EU accession and the launch of EU membership talks with Croatia.
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The process of screening the level of harmonisation of Croatian laws with those of the EU was completed. The European Commission will now make recommendations on launching talks on each chapter. Zagreb has opened and provisionally closed negotiations on one chapter.
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KFOR Commander Lieutenant General Roland Kather met with Montenegrin Army chief General Colonel Jovan Lakicevic in Podgorica, discussing issues related to bilateral co-operation. This was the first such meeting since Podgorica declared independence in May.
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The EU Council endorsed the scheduled accession of Bulgaria and Romania, as recommended in the latest report by the European Commission (EC). The bloc's foreign ministers also voiced support for plans to monitor their performance in areas such as judicial reform and the fight against crime and corruption.
(Various sources – 18/10/06-24/10/06)