Athens News Agency: News in English, 05-10-05

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From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] Terms for EU-Turkey talks a major step forward for Greece and Cyprus, gov't says

[02] Foreign ministry spokesman on EU-Turkey accession talks

[03] Ano Liossia landfill site to reopen after nine-day strike

[01] Terms for EU-Turkey talks a major step forward for Greece and Cyprus, gov't says

He stressed that after long, extremely complex and gruelling negotiations, the government had managed to include Greece's goals in legally binding EU documents and that the process now before Turkey demanded that it conform to a set of terms, rules and conditions.

The spokesman underlined that, for the first time, the EU was explicitly demanding that Turkey improve bilateral relations with Greece as an obligation and a condition.

"Also for the first time, conditions clearly being created for the de facto and the de jure recognition of the Cyprus Republic by Turkey, immediately after the start of accession negotiations," he added.

The spokesman noted that Turkey will therefore be under pressure to contribute to a solution of the Cyprus issue, while EU texts also referred to Turkey's obligation to deal with issues concerning the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the ethnic Greek minority that still remains on Turkey's shores.

Undisputed confirmation of the success of Greece's strategy and Athens' handling of the issues were the EU's counter-statement to Turkey on September 21 - in response to Turkey's statement that it did not recognise the Cyprus Republic despite its signature of an agreement extending customs union with the new EU member-states - and the framework for EU-Turkey accession negotiations, Roussopoulos said.

The spokesman further pointed out that Turkey will be monitored extremely closely by the 25 EU member-states, including Greece and Cyprus, throughout the negotiations for every one of the 35 chapters, which can only close by unanimous vote.

"This is the reality and a historic turning point, this is the starting point for a future of stability and peace, as the Greek people desire," Roussopoulos stressed.

He also slammed opposition criticism of the government's handling of Turkey's EU course "miserly and groundless petty party-politics".

Dismissing criticism concerning the last-minute addition of extra paragraphs to the text for the negotiations framework with Turkey, Roussopoulos stressed that the additions - which changed the crucial for Greek interests paragraph 5 into paragraph 7 - essentially changed nothing.

Concerning an accompanying statement by Foreign Secretary Jack Straw of the British EU presidency, the spokesman pointed out that Straw had only stated the obvious - namely that every international organisation had its own terms and rules and that no other international organisation could interfere with these.

He also underlined that Straw's statement - that the contents of paragraph 7 did not concern and could not prevent the independence of international organisation in taking decisions - was not "legally binding".

Asked if Turkey would continue to have the right to veto Cyprus' membership of NATO, the spokesman simply reiterated that "every international organisation has its own rules".

Concerning the continued presence of Turkish occupation troops on Cyprus, Roussopoulos said that efforts had been made and were continuing to resolve this problem. "At no time did anyone lower the flag and I believe that the effort is continuing with the agreement of all the Greek parties, since the major goal is to resolve the problem," he added.

In response to other questions, Roussopoulos stressed that a reference in the text to Turkey's obligation to maintain good-neighbourly relations was not a recommendation but a commitment, while pointing out that the negotiating framework placed an unprecedented number of conditions that must be met by Turkey in its accession course, including a clause concerning the relocation of Turkish nationals even after accession that was a departure from ordinary EU practice.

Assessing the impact of the Luxembourg agreement overall, meanwhile, the spokesman said that the start of EU accession negotiations with Turkey under the terms agreed was "a success of Greek foreign policy" and that "a better process than this could not have been achieved".

"We have passed from the time when we did not set conditions to a time when we set conditions, a great many conditions, that Turkey is obliged to accept," he concluded.

[02] Foreign ministry spokesman on EU-Turkey accession talks

Foreign ministry spokesman George Koumoutsakos added that although the phrase "good neighborly relations" is a general term, it was nevertheless included in a Community text for the first time -- and more importantly, a text involving Turkey's European prospects.

Additionally, regarding the prospect of Turkey vetoing the membership of EU candidate-state Cyprus into other international organisations and fora - another political "thorn" affecting Ankara's EU prospects - the spokesman stressed that "if Turkey exhibits a behavior that does not abide by the EU's policy, then the 25 member-states, which include Greece and Cyprus, will judge it; and we will be very strict critics".

Along those lines, he also reminded that unanimity is necessary for EU-Turkey talks to proceed.

Meanwhile, Koumoutsakos said the issue of removing Turkish occupation forces from Cyprus was not a condition of the negotiating framework because conclusions of the 2002 Copenhagen summit "defined, with absolute clarity, what exactly would be evaluated in December 2004, when a date for beginning accession talks with Turkey was given."

He said the question of whether or not Turkey fulfilled the political criteria set at the Copenhagen defined the Union's stance in the subsequent period. However, he stressed that the current negotiating framework will be a "strict roadmap in a 10-year mechanism of very stringent monitoring, one that began on Oct. 3."

[03] Ano Liossia landfill site to reopen after nine-day strike

A general assembly by the striking workforce decided that the landfill will only open for ordinary refuse, however, and not for sewage sludge.

The strike was called as a protest against the government's decision to allow the Athens water and sewage company EYDAP to deposit sewage sludge produced by the Psytalleia wastewater treatment plant at the landfill for composting.

They warned that if EYDAP attempted to transfer sludge to the landfill with the assistance of police, the landfill would be closed again.

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