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Greece Foreign Minister Yunanistan Dışişleri Bakanı As Greece assumes the presidency of the European Union on 1 January, it also assumes a key role in the dispute between the EU and the US regarding the likelihood of war against Iraq. At the same time, Greece's Foreign Minister George PAPANDREU, as President of theÊCouncil of the EU, will also have to focus on the Cyprus issue. If there is no peace in Cyprus, it will be a divided island that comes to the accession ceremony in the shadow of the Acropolis. Do you still hope for a compromise, following the failure of the Cyprus talks in Copenhagen? There has been a momentum since the summit meeting in Copenhagen, as it has now been made clear that Cyprus will become a member of the EU. However, Turkey's chances of beginning negotiations with the EU after 2004, if it fulfils the criteria, is also creating a new mobility. The vision of co-existence under the common roof of the EU has the support of a large segment of both Turkish and Turkish Cypriot society. The vision is one thing, but reality is another. The UN Secretary General is calling for a positive reply to his plan for Cyprus by 28 February. Is that possible? I would like that to happen, but I don't know. If there are problems, we should continue to negotiate until we find a solution. No, I don't want to lose hope under any circumstances. The new government in Ankara is clearly having a hard time imposing its desire for peace on the establishment and the Turkish army. It is hard to know what is going on inside Ankara. It is clear that there are various political evaluations and views there, which for the moment are conflicting. The new government wants to continue negotiations. It has assured us of that. Unfortunately, (Turkish Cypriot leader) Rauf DENKTASH continues to resist. It appears that he is opposed to the basic principles of the Annan proposal. The Annan proposal provides for a referendum on the island. What will happen, however, if the Turks agree to the proposal, but the referendum on the Greek side rejects it? Both sides will sign the proposal if they are sure that a solution has been found that is acceptable to their citizens. Of course one could foresee a negative scenario, but then one would have to ask again whether both sides are willing to live together.Ê In Copenhagen, did you feel that some EU member state might want to prevent the accession of a divided Cyprus to the EU? No, I didn't. After Denmark, another small country, Greece, assumes the presidency of the EU. German Chancellor SCHROEDER said that EU enlargement should be followed by a deepening. What does a country at the outskirts of Europe think about a more centralised authority? We do need a deepening, but we have to strengthen the democratic nature of our institutions so that Europe's citizens feel part of a great undertaking. That is why we need greater transparency and greater participation. The goal is a Europe with clear decision-making mechanisms that its citizens understand. Europe is becoming more and more of a single entity. Therefore the question of identity is playing a greater role. By identity, I mean the question of where one belongs. Among the Constitutional Convention's proposals for drafting a Constitution for the Union, to be discussed for the first time at the June summit in Thessaloniki, is the idea of a president of the European Union. Do you favour this proposal? A person can be identified with. However, we should not forget that we already have a President of the European Commission and we have a rotating Presidency of the Council. This has positive aspects, particularly for the smaller and medium-sized states. It gives us a sense of participation. The Presidency becomes a national event and we learn a great deal from it. We must ask ourselves how we can maintain this within the enlarged EU, so that people will not get the feeling that the Union is something distant, to be observed from afar. It is important that the centre of Europe comes to us from time to time. If Turkey one day becomes a member of the EU, Greece will no longer be at the edge of the EU. You have spoken in favour of negotiations with Turkey in the near future. Fears are being expressed about Turkey in many countries of Europe, but not in Greece. Turkey is our neighbour and always will be. For us the question is whether we want a European neighbour. Within a European perspective, the long-standing problems between our countries would enter a new framework. Within a community of values, it is easier to find common solutions. There has been much discussion about Islam and Europe. Isn't that of any importance for Greece? Turkey does not represent the Islamic world. That is very important, both at an international level, as well as for the security of Europe. Europe is not only a geographical entity. It is about common values, democratic structures, stability and prosperity. We should be disseminating these values more widely. Slovenia is to become a member of the EU. Do you see a future in Europe for the other countries of former Yugoslavia? Even just a glance at the map shows that a black hole is being created in the middle of a region, most of which will become part of the EU very soon. The countries of the Balkans must have a future in Europe and we should speed up this process during our presidency. In Greece, there have repeatedly been discussions about a Federation of Balkan States. The EU gives us the possibility of using the vision of the past for future stability in the region. There is a threat of war against Iraq during the next months. Within the EU, there is some disagreement over this question. Will you try to bring about a unified position for the EU? Europe is in agreement that we must act within the framework of the United Nations. This is an important position which contributed towards US President George BUSH raising the issue at the UN. Our hope is that the UN will succeed, which of course assumes that Saddam HUSSEIN cooperates fully. That is the positive scenario. Recent developments do not bode well, however, although the picture is not completely clear. A unified stance is important for Europe, but I cannot guarantee it. What is Greece's position? We have always been in favour of settling the dispute by diplomatic means. The New York Times recently wrote that when the countries of Eastern Europe join the EU, the US' influence with the EU will be greater, as these countries are strongly oriented towards the US. What does enlargement mean from this point of view? Dialogue between the EU and the US is at the top of the agenda. The EU and the US have common values, but different opinions regarding the resolution of disputes. We could fight a duel, shouting at each other across the Atlantic, but that is not very effective. Public opinion wants an open discussion and Europe has a lot to offer with regard to the important debate about security. That is because we live in close contact with the Islamic and the Arab world. The tragedy of the refugees who drowned in the Aegean over Christmas showed that immigration is still the central issue for the EU's internal policy. Will Europe's borders continue to remain closed? On the one hand we have to make it clear that we control our borders. On the other, however, we should use the positive elements in immigration to enrich our societies economically and culturally, particularly in view of Europe's demographic problem. For that reason we should get away from xenophobia. Hostility to foreigners is of no use to our societies. It only creates bigger problems and greater insecurity. 1 Ocak'tan itibaren Yunanistan'ın Avrupa Birliği Dönem Başkanlığını üstlenmesi, AB ve ABD arasında Irak'a olası bir savaş konusunda süregelen uyuşmazlıkta da Yunanistan'ın önemli bir role sahip olacağı anlamını taşımaktadır. Adada barış sağlanamazsa Kıbrıs'ın AB'ye üyeliği gölgelenecektir. Kopenhag'da Kıbrıs görüşmelerinin başarısız olmasının ardından hâlâ uzlaşma ümidi taşıyor musunuz? Kriterleri yerine getirirse, 2004 yılından sonra Türkiye'nin AB ile tam üyelik müzakerelerine başlaması meseleye yeni bir hareketlilik getirecektir. Ortak AB çatısı altında Kıbrıs'ta iki toplumlu bir çözüm, hem Türk hem de Kıbrıs Türk toplumunun büyük bir kesimince desteklenmektedir. BM Genel Sekreteri 28 Şubat'a kadar plana müspet bir yanıt verilmesi çağrısında bulundu. Bu mümkün mü? Umarım olur ama bilemiyorum. 28 Şubat'ı m”lât olarak görmemeliyiz. Sorunlar varsa, müzakerelere devam etmeliyiz. Kopenhag'da, bazı AB üyelerinin bölünmüş bir Kıbrıs'ın AB'ye üyeliğini engellemek isteyebileceklerini düşündünüz mü? Hayır. Yunanistan dışında pek çok Avrupa ülkesi, Türkiye'nin üyeliğiyle ilgili endişelerini ifade ediyor. Türkiye bizim komşumuzdur ve öyle kalacaktır. Bizim için mesele Avrupalı bir komşumuz olmasını isteyip istememektir. Avrupa perspektifiyle, ülkelerimiz arasında uzun yıllardır süregelen sorunlar yeni bir çerçeveye oturacaktır. Bir değerler toplumu içinde ortak çözüm bulmak daha kolaydır. İslâmiyet ve Avrupa tartışmaları oldukça yoğun. Bu tartışmalar Yunanistan için herhangi bir önem taşımıyor mu? Türkiye İslâm ålemini temsil etmiyor. Bu hem uluslararası ilişkiler hem de Avrupa'nın güvenliği açısından son derece önemli. Avrupa yalnızca bir coğraf” unsur değildir. Bir ortak değerler, demokratik yapılar, istikrar ve refah bölgesidir.Önümüzdeki aylarda Irak'a savaş açılması gündemde. AB bu konuda tam bir mutabakata varmış değil. AB, soruna BM çerçevesinde bir çözüm bulunması gerektiğinde mutabık. Ümidimiz SADDAM'ın işbirliği ile BM'nin başarılı olmasıdır. AB'nin ortak bir tavır sergilemesi gerekir ama bunu garanti edemem. Yunanistan'ın tavrı nedir? Biz her zaman ihtilâfların diplomatik yolla çözülmesinden yana olmuşuzdur. |