"The Turkish view from Brussels
By Myria Antoniadou
WILL the Turkish government manage to get the protocol extending its customs union to all 25 member states approved by the National Assembly so it can be implemented, and is Ankara determined to use the protocol in order to gain direct trade for the Turkish Cypriots? Are there concerns that Nicosia will use its “71 vetoes”? Will the start of Turkey’s EU accession negotiations actually facilitate efforts for a settlement in Cyprus?
We put these questions to four Turks who closely follow developments in the EU, two of them as representatives of powerful non-governmental organisations and the other two as correspondents. All of them point to the difficulties the Turkish government faces with regard to Cyprus, while, reflecting mainstream Turkish policies and perceptions, they apportion blame on the Greek Cypriots and especially President Papadopoulos for the stalemate in a number of Cyprus related issues. They all also strongly believe the EU must approve the trade and aid package for the Turkish Cypriots."
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