PACE urges Greek Cypriots to withdraw objections to trade with Turkish Cypriots

02/10/2008

STRASBOURG, France -- The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) approved a report and a related resolution Wednesday (October 1st) urging Greek Cypriots to withdraw objections to free and direct trade between Turkish Cypriots and the EU via ports on the northern part of the island. The resolution also urged Greek Cypriots to accept increased international contacts by Turkish Cypriots in the areas of culture, education, sport and youth exchanges, insofar as these contacts do not serve political purposes or are incompatible with efforts to reunify the island.

Also Wednesday, Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat said the Council of Europe can do more to help end the economic and political isolation of his community. The council should press Cypriot President Demetris Christofias "to lift all restrictions" on the Turkish Cypriots, Talat stressed in his address to the PACE. He blamed the problem on what he perceives as a failure by Greek Cypriot leaders to view their Turkish counterparts as equals. "We want to establish a new partnership state in Cyprus [...] composed of two states of equal status," he noted. One of the most serious aspects of Turkish Cypriots' isolation is their inability to express their political views in the international arena, Talat added.

He said another serious problem stems from the Greek Cypriots' unwillingness to share sovereignty. The Turkish Cypriots want a reunification solution based on a bicommunal and politically equal model with two equal states, he noted. Talat also urged the PACE lawmakers to issue a resolution that includes support for a Turkish plan allowing ports to open on the northern, Turkish Cypriot-controlled part of the island. (Anadolu news agency, Hurriyet, Milliyet, AP - 01/10/08)