Turkey's deputy prime minister vented frustration with the European Union and Greek Cypriots before an election on the Turkish side of Cyprus on April 18 that could impact his country's bid for EU membership. In an interview with Reuters on Wednesday, Cemil Cicek, a heavyweight in the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), decried the European Union's attitude to Turkey, saying other EU candidates received more favourable treatment. "It's time the Europeans also began behaving ethically," he said. "When it concerns others one kilogram equals one thousand grammes, when it concerns Turkey one kilogram equals 800 grammes," said the 64-year-old, who is known for speaking his mind. The biggest obstacle Turkey faces to gaining admission relates to the dispute over Cyprus. Cyprus was divided in 1974 after Turkey sent troops to the island in reaction to a coup against the Cypriot government made up of Turks and Greeks. Turkey was the only country to recognise the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus when it was declared a separate state in 1983 and still has troops there. Now, Turkey hopes reunification talks between the Turkish and Greek sides will unblock its negotiations with the EU on several policy fronts. Cicek said Turkey was committed to finding a peaceful resolution for Cyprus, regardless of who won an election on April 18 when Turkish Cypriots vote for a president. But officials privately fear incumbent Mehmet Ali Talat, who has been at the forefront of the reunification process, could lose because of a lack of progress so far. If that happens, and progress on reunification stalls, so could Turkey's EU bid. Turkey has opened 12 out of 35 negotiating chapters, covering different policy areas since starting formal EU entry talks in 2005. But 18 are blocked, most because of Cyprus. Turkey's EU negotiations could hit a wall by the year end, if it completes the remaining chapters and 18 are still frozen. One Turkish official described it like "seeing a train coming down a tunnel". USING CYPRUS Turkish membership is a divisive issue in the EU. Critics say cultural differences with the predominantly Muslim state will hamper integration. This negativity towards Turkey was behind Erdogan's comment during a visit to Bosnia earlier this week when he said: "The EU will only be a Christian club without Turkey". Some European leaders, notably Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy, have suggested Turkey opt for a "privileged partnership". But Turkey wants nothing less than full membership. Cicek gave assurances that should the AK win a third term in elections due by mid-2011, it would stay true to a goal of meeting EU norms across political, social and economic spheres. "Turkey has a vision for 2023, which is a centennial of the republic. We would like to see Turkey as a full EU member by that date," said Cicek, referring to the founding of the modern Turkish republic out of the ashes of the Ottoman Empire. But he said some EU states were using Turkey's support for the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus to block the EU bid. "We are aware that there are certain countries which want to obstruct Turkey's EU membership by using this Cyprus issue," he said. "This attitude of the EU is primarily unethical and immoral because EU membership is conditional on Copenhagen political criteria and the implementation of those criteria," he said, saying Turkey had met those requirements. Cicek also denounced the EU for isolating Turkish Cypriots living in the north of the divided island, describing it as being like "an open prison" and said the Greek Cypriots were spoiling chances of a political solution. Turkey would honour a pledge to open its ports and airports to Cypriot traffic, Cicek said, so long as the EU simultaneously ended its embargo of northern Cyprus. He went on to voice concern that the Greek Cypriot side could use the outcome of the vote to further delay a solution. "This situation is not going to last forever, another five to 10 years, because we are now fed up with the ploys of the Greek Cypriots," Cicek said.
