by Athena Arsalidou (CNA)
The European Union German presidency has assured that it would do its utmost to accommodate the parties concerned in order to work towards a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus problem, in line with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions and based on the principles on which the EU was founded.
This was stated by Charges d’ Affaires of the German embassy in
“You can be assured that we will try to accommodate the parties involved whenever there is a possibility (for a
Emphasizing the need to continue bicommunal talks, the German diplomat said that his country’s EU presidency would “surely emphasize the need to quickly start preparatory work for a
“There have been meetings but unfortunately with no progress. We hope that under the UN Secretary General’s Good Offices, the mission can resume without any unnecessary delay”, he said.
He underlined that the
Elaborating on that, he said that if the
“The
On the Commission’s proposal to start direct trade between the Turkish Cypriots and the EU, he recalled that the German Foreign Minister Frank Walter Steinmeier had recently reiterated “the necessity to resume the work aiming at the adoption of the Commission’s proposal for a direct trade regulation on special conditions for trade”.
“We have always been in close contact with the Finnish government. We will see what they have achieved so far on the matter”, he said, and expressed the view that “according to the conclusions of 26th April 2004 there should be trade with the Republic of Cyprus and the areas on which the government does not exercise effective control”.
Noting that “this is a very difficult area”, he said
“It must not necessarily be the same itinerary the Finnish presidency has chosen, it could be, but this we will find out after we have taken over our presidency”, he noted.
But the German diplomat said that since 2004, when the Commission proposed this regulation, nothing has been achieved.
“The occupied areas have a different idea of direct trade and the Republic has a different one. We have to see where both opinions can be compromised”, he said, and wondered what in fact direct trade entails.
“There is always this question, what does direct trade really mean? As long as we do not have a definition that is commonly accepted, we cannot effectively discuss it. We have to determine if there are other solutions to be found. Compromise is a give and take action and it would be wrong to speculate at this point in time,” he pointed out.
On the sanctions imposed on
He added that the non implementation of the EU – Turkey Customs Union Protocol has consequences but on the other hand the door remains open for
The German Presidency, Heidorn said, intends to open more negotiating chapters with
“We will continue to negotiate. The EU decided that the screening process will continue and chapters for which technical preparations have been completed will be opened in accordance with established procedures, in line with the negotiating framework and based on EU principles”, he said.
Referring to migration, he said that the German EU presidency will look at legal and illegal migration as a whole and expressed the view that the EU should agree with the countries of origin on a certain number of legal immigrants, provided that the third countries contribute to the fight against illegal migration.
On illegal migration via the Green Line, the demarcation line dividing the government controlled areas with the Turkish occupied areas of
“It has to be made clear that a solution has to be found. Once you become a Schengen country your problem will be a European one. It would serve your own interest since you are a smaller country which cannot absorb great numbers of immigrants”, he pointed out.
He added that “when you talk to the Cypriot police, they say our external borders are safe. But you have the Green Line which is a weak point and difficult to control”.
Heidorn also welcomed the fact that
Referring to the German presidency’s priorities, he referred to the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome that established the European Economic Community (EEC).
On the 25th of March the EU heads of state and government will gather in
Heidorn said that since March 1957, Europe has achieved peace and security, “issues that Cypriots understand very well”, adding that “
The German presidency will focus on the economic, social and ecological future of the EU, aiming to make “industrial growth more ecological and sustainable”.
It will also focus on employment, protection of the environment, social cohesion and on combating bureaucracy.
“You can save billions if you cut on bureaucracy. This is a high priority issue for Chancellor Angela Merkel, particularly important for small and medium sized enterprises, since our economies are mainly based on them, also in
The second half of the presidency will concentrate on the revival of the EU Constitutional Treaty, on legal and illegal migration, on the fight against terrorism and organized crime, on better police cooperation as well as on Foreign and Security Policy.
The Constitutional Treaty, Heidorn said, is a centerpiece for the German presidency, adding “we have to try to meet the demands of those countries that did not ratify it yet. We will present a report at the EU Council of June 2007 and propose a timeframe for further action”.
The
