by Upstate NY
Thu Sep 11th, 2008 at 11:27:07 AM EST
This morning's Cyprus News front page article on the Cyprus talks contains a couple interesting quotes which delineates the nature of the discussion and problem in seeking a resolution.
http://www.cyprus-mail.com/news/
First, a quote from other news sources from Turkey's FM Ali Babacan (a quote the Cyprus News only parses):
"Turkey's guarantorship functions on the island are a necessity for security and stability in the east Mediterranean," he said on Wednesday. "We are not opening this to discussion."
The question of Turkey's insistence on intervention (i.e. invasion rights) raises an issue about Cyprus's EU status. Can a European Union member have such minimal sovereignty over its own affairs? Is this acceptable to the EU? How does this limitation of sovereignty affect the EU's responsibilities to Cyprus? (ie. what if Turkey "intervened" in an EU state?)
The fact is, guarantor rights are an absolute no go for the Cyprus Republic.
The solution to this may come in a decade or so when France agrees that Turkey should enter the EU. Who knows what the world will look like then?
Second interesting quote:
In London, Britain's former Cyprus envoy Lord David Hannay said the Greek Cypriot side's dependence on UN resolutions in seeking a solution were erroneous, given Turkey's military strength.
Asked during a lecture about UN resolutions on Cyprus that had not been implemented, Hannay said many of the documents were "dead texts".
He added he was against holding referendums on a Cyprus solution.
Lord Hannay is responsible for authoring 95% of Annan Plan 5. What more needs to be said?
