Turkey Trouble

The German cabinet met on Sunday to plan Germany's coming European Union presidency under a cloud of discontent after current EU president Finland scrapped planned meetings with Turkish and Cypriot officials this weekend.

Finland drew up a plan to solve the dispute but cancelled the meeting after Turkish and Cypriot officials failed to agree on the terms of the talks.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, riled by Turkey's unwillingness to give ground on the Cyprus issue and the abandonment of talks on the topic, warned that Turkey's bid to join the EU was in jeopardy due to the worsening dispute with Cyprus.

In a candid interview published in Monday's Süddeutsche Zeitung daily, Merkel said she hoped that the cancellation of talks between the EU, Turkey and Cyprus would "not be the last word" but added that any failure to resolve the growing crisis would severely damage Turkey's chances of joining the bloc.

Merkel, whose country assumes the rotating six-month presidency of the EU in January, said the continuance of accession discussions would depend on how Turkey responded to the EU's demands on progress.

Merkel warns of serious situation

"We need the implementation of the Ankara Protocol about the free movement of goods with states including Cyprus. Otherwise we will have a very, very serious situation in terms of the continuation of accession talks," Merkel said. "I call on Turkey to do everything not to get into this situation and not to lead the European Union into this situation.

"We don't want a political confrontation. But the requirement is that Turkey in particular budges," Merkel added. "The EU cannot simply go on as it has done. Turkey must understand that there will be no simple 'carry on' if there is no movement on Cyprus."

However, government sources told German press agency dpa that the current frosty state of relations over Cyprus did not mean Berlin would seek a break-off of the accession talks, but rather a suspension of sub-sections of those talks.

Turkey-Cyprus dispute threatening accession hopes

Cyprus, divided since 1974 when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third in response to a Greek Cypriot coup aimed at uniting the island with Greece, has become one of the biggest obstacles to Turkey's membership talks with the EU, which began last year.

Under a customs union agreement with the bloc, Ankara must open its ports and airports to craft registered under the flag of the Republic of Cyprus, an EU member whose Greek Cypriot government Turkey does not recognize.

But Turkey refuses to do so until the EU eases the international isolation of the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), as it promised to do after Turkish Cypriots voted in favor of a UN settlement plan to reunify the island in April 2004.

Ankara says Greek Cypriots, who voted down the peace plan, are using their EU membership as leverage to hamper Turkey's bid and extract concessions in the Cyprus conflict.

Relations less cordial under Merkel

Relations between Merkel's government and the Turkish administration have continued to become more strained over EU accession than was the case with the previous German red-green coalition under Gerhard Schröder.

Under Schröder, Germany was a key backer of Turkey's bid to become the EU's first mainly Muslim member. However, Merkel's conservatives prefer offering Turkey only a "privileged partnership."

Apart from Turkey's accession and the Cyprus dispute, the German cabinet on Sunday set out Germany's objectives as president of the 25-nation bloc, confirming that it would revive efforts to pass an EU constitutional treaty.

Merkel told reporters after Sunday's specially convened cabinet meeting that she would try to use Germany's six-month presidency to press EU members to salvage the constitution, which was rejected in French and Dutch referendums last year, partly because of concerns about expansion.

Germany targets EU constitution resurrection

However, she admitted that any result would probably come late in Germany's January-to-June presidency; given that little could be agreed before the French presidential elections due to conclude in May.

"Substantial questions such as the constitution will probably have to be decided after the elections in France," she said.

Germany is against plans for the stripping down of the constitution, which is supposed to streamline decision-making and create the post of EU foreign minister and to make it more acceptable to voters.

Merkel said officials must demonstrate to citizens that the union is "pragmatic and manageable." She also said the union would have to "live and mature" before it can embark on any further wave of expansion.

Germany would propose a "Berlin declaration" on EU values when EU leaders meet at a summit in the city next March, Merkel added.

During its coming EU presidency, the cabinet stated that Germany would also stress energy policy, the fight to stem climate change and establishing a better partnership with Africa.