The European Commissioner for External Relations, Mr Hans van den Broek, and the envoy of the British presidency, Sir David Hannay, wound up a visit to the island yesterday, without securing Turkish-ypriot participation in Cyprus accession talks due to begin on March 31st.
Mr van den Broek summed up his mission by saying it was "not the visit of big breakthroughs", but of taking stock. Hopes of a breakthrough were dashed when the Turkish-Cypriot leader, Mr Rauf Denktash, refused to meet the EU envoys. Mr van den Broek expressed his regrets that he and Sir David "were not able to see Mr Denktash" who had previously conducted "constructive" talks with EU emissaries.
By contrast, Mr van den Broek characterised the attitude of President Glafkos Clerides of Cyprus as "very constructive and open" with respect to providing for the participation of the Turkish-Cypriots and securing their interests.
Mr Clerides is expected to present his government's proposal for Turkish-Cypriot representation in the talks after the EU summit in London on March 12th. This proposal would allow the Turkish-Cypriots to take part without compromising the sovereignty of the Greek-Cypriot majority republic.
So far Mr Denktash has rejected any formula which does not grant recognition to his breakaway state as a precondition of participation. Mr van den Broek said, however, that the EU "does not recognise" the Turkish-Cypriot entity.
Mr van den Broek said the EU had presented a package of proposals on March 4th to "deepen relations with Turkey" and set out a pre-accession strategy for Ankara. The Turkish government - like Mr Denktash - has been boycotting contacts with officials representing the EU officials since mid-December when Turkey was not included in the first EU expansion programme. However, Mr van den Broek made it clear the EU would not be "paralysed" on the Cyprus issue. The EU plans to proceed with Cyprus accession talks in parallel with UN-brokered settlement negotiations so that when Cyprus enters the EU in 1999 or 2000 it would do so as a bicommunal, bizonal federation embracing both communities.
Mr van den Broek admitted the route the international community had to follow was not yet certain, but "we must be clear where we will end". The US Cyprus co-ordinator, Mr Thomas Miller, is due here next week to prepare for a visit of the presidential envoy, Mr Richard Holbrooke, and later in the month, the Secretary General's envoy, Mr Diego Cordovez, is expected to make a bid to re-start UN-sponsored talks.
