Turkey to open port, airport to Cyprus traffic -EU

HELSINKI, Dec 7: Turkey has offered to open a port and an airport to traffic from Cyprus in a dramatic last-minute bid to avert a partial suspension of its European Union membership talks, EU President Finland said today.

Presidency spokesman Mikko Norros told Reuters: ''I can confirm they sent a message to the Foreign Ministry to say they are opening one port and one airport.'' It was not immediately clear if the offer was unilateral or depended on reciprocity from Cyprus or the 25-nation EU. In Ankara, a Foreign Ministry source said Turkey would make the move if the isolation of northern Cyprus was eased.

The development came just before ambassadors of the bloc were to meet for a second day in Brussels to discuss how hard to sanction Ankara for failing to meet its EU customs union obligation to allow normal trade with Cyprus.

''On its part, Turkey is wanting to communicate that it's important to avoid a bigger clash. To that end, it has approached with constructive ideas,'' Finnish Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja told Reuters.

He said it would be up to EU ambassadors and then foreign ministers next Monday to decide how to take the matter forward.

A Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman said talks on the matter were continuing, but declined to give any details.

''There isn't anything to share with the press at this moment for the sake of the benefit of the negotiations,'' spokesman Murat Ozcelik said.

But the Turkish Foreign Ministry source said any deal to open a port and an airport to Cyprus would also require the EU to make good on its pledge to ease the economic isolation of the self-proclaimed Turkish Cypriot state in northern Cyprus.

''POSITIVE MOVE''

The Nicosia government has so far blocked direct trade between northern Cyprus and the EU and strongly objects on sovereignty grounds to any opening of Ercan airport, which would bring huge tourism benefits to the Turkish Cypriots. There was no immediate comment from Nicosia but Greek Cypriot sources said the move appeared to be a unilateral initiative by Turkey and there had been no talks with Cyprus in the days leading up to it.

The executive European Commission recommended last week suspending eight out of 35 policy areas or ''chapters'' in Turkey's EU accession negotiations and refusing to conclude talks in any sector until it complies on Cyprus.

However, Cyprus and some other EU states wanted tougher action with a new deadline for a review of Turkey's compliance.

EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn was not immediately available for comment on the Turkish initiative, but External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner told Reuters: ''Certainly it seems to be a positive move.'' Turkey's message was received yesterday, just as the ambassadors were about to start discussing the EU position on Turkey, a discussion which was then postponed until today.

Finnish public television YLE, citing EU diplomats, said that in return for Turkey's move, the EU would reconsider its proposal to slow down membership negotiations.

Cyprus has been divided since Turkish troops invaded in 1974 in response to a coup by Greek Cypriot militants seeking union with Greece.

Turkey refuses to recognise the Greek Cypriot government in Nicosia. The EU admitted a divided Cyprus as a member in 2004, represented only by the Nicosia government, even though the Greek Cypriots voted against a U.N. peace plan for the island which Turkish Cypriots approved in a referendum.

REUTERS