"Turkey "unreasonable" on recognition refusal
By Jean Christou
TURKEY�S decision not to recognise the Republic of Cyprus until a final Cyprus settlement is reached is unreasonable, the government said yesterday.
Cyprus wants Turkey to recognise the Republic before December 17, when Ankara hopes to secure a date for the start of accession negotiations with the EU.
However, Ankara made it clear on Thursday in a document sent to the EU's Dutch presidency, that it was not ready to recognise Cyprus before a solution had been found.
The Turkish government also called for a "clear date" for the start of accession talks, "leaving no room for second thoughts and containing no conditions", Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul told reporters.
"It is unreasonable," Government Spokesman Kypros Chrysostomides told his daily press briefing yesterday. "You cannot justify it, particularly because Turkey requires a valid vote to start accession negotiations on December 17 from all 25 EU member states, including Cyprus.""
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