Bulletin de liaison et d'information - Institut kurde de Paris

116
France to help Turkey cultivate ties wfth EU
But Cyprus has the right to apply for membership
like Turkey, says French Undersecretary
Tiukish Daily News. .
ANKARA-' Arriving fôrextensive
talks with Turkish officials, French
Deputy Undersecretary Bernard
Dufourcq declared that Paris would
try to help Turkey with concrete measures
for Improving Turco-EU ties. He
added, however, that Cyprus had the
right to apply for membership "just
like Turkey." .' . .
Dufourcq, who hel4 talks with his
Turkish counterpart Özdem Sanberk
and Turkish Foreign Minister Hikmet
Çetin; said the focus was on Turkey's
relations with the European Union.
France takes over .the term-presidency
after Germany, and, as part of the EU
troika - the l'ast, present and future
chairmen - for. three terms as of
July.
"We have to make use of those
periods to find concrete modalities for
reinforcing the ties between Turkey
and the Euro~ean Union. We are discussing
that, Ambassador Dufourcq
told reporters after his meeting wilo
çetin.
Asked about the Corfu summit, the
French diplomat replied that he had no
official information on the exact statements
made at the Corfu summit, but
added: "We think that Cyprus, like
any other Mediterranean country and
.like Turkey, has the right to apply for
full membership of the European
Union."
But he also 'signalled that any
enlargement should be considered
after the 1996 intergovenimental con.
ference, where the member states will
hold extensive talks on enlargement
prospects and review the EU Institutions.
'
Dufourcq's statement on "Cyprus'
right to apply" follows a reference to
the membership of Cyprus and Malta
in. the European Council's presidency
conclusions in Corfu.
In these conclusions, the European
Council welcomed "the significant
progress made regarding the application
by Cyprus and Malta for accession
to the EU." .
"The European Council notes that
in these conditions the next phase of.
enlargement of the Union will involve
Cyprus and Malta," the statement
said, "The European Council, recalling
relevant decisions of the Council...
reaffirms that any solution must
respect the sovereignty, independence,
territorial integrity and umty of the
country, in accordance with the relevant
United Nations 'resolutions and
high-level arrangements."
A statement concerning Turkey was
also inserted, noting the converung of
the EC.Turkey Association CounCIlto
deal in rarticular with the achievement
0 the customs union in the
Association Agreement of 1964.
Turkish officials, meanwhile, told
the French delegation that a EU decision
to go forward with the membership
of the Greek Cy'priot administration
would lead to 'greater exploitation
by the Greek government, which
is already benefiting from the lack of
a solution," a Turkish diplomat said .
after the talks. The. Greek Cypriot
administration, which is recognized
internationally as the Republic of
Cyprus, has been pushing for full
membership despite protests from thè
Turkish Cypriot side .. Rauf
Denktas, the president of the Turkish
Republic of Northern Cyprus, has said
that his republic would consider
annexation to Turkey if Greek Cyprus
was given full membership of the
European Union.
"The French side understands our
concern," the Turkish diplomat said.
"They have also expressed support for
the efforts of the U.N. secretary-general
for a solution to the Cyprus question."
The two sides have also discussed
possible French participation in the.
tripartite talks between Turkey,
Germany and Britain.
. "We are interested in the tripartite
talks... We were invited anà look
at Uoining) favorably," Dufourcq
said.
The Turkish side, on the ollieI'hand,
said it had given France an explanation
of the latest developmentscon~
cerning human rights in Turkey;
Turkish officials denied that the closure
of the frO-Kurdish Democracy
Party (DEP was brought up inthe
talks as a separate subject, but was
debated as part of the human rights
situation. Sources, however, stressed
that France had expressed concern at
human rights developments in Turkey
and noted that there was a group within
the Council of Europe which wanted
to freeze Turkey' s membership.