Jack Straw stated that the international community should support the division of Cyprus, if Cyprus negotiation talks fail

Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily News (13.10.11) reported from London that Jack Straw, former foreign secretary of the U.K stated in an interview at the British Parliament on Thursday, that the Greek Cypriots cannot say they represent the entire island of Cyprus, because they do not.

“Oil and natural gas exploration in the eastern Mediterranean Sea is a dangerous prospect for the region”, Straw said, adding that there is a great need for international negotiations and calm.

Referring to the ongoing negotiation talks in Cyprus, Straw stressed: “In the absence of any progress the international community should support the division of the island”. Straw said that when the “Greek Cypriot administration”, [as the Republic of Cyprus is described by Hurriyet], takes over the rotating presidency of the European Union in July 2012, it will have a responsibility to the union and therefore, would leave aside its national responsibilities and represent the entire EU.

On Turkey’s EU membership bid, Straw stated that the current negotiation pace between Turkey and the Union was slow and that EU member states, the administrations of France and “Greek Cyprus” in particular, were responsible for it.

Straw added that France had supported Turkey’s EU membership application six years ago, and the “Greek Cypriot administration” also accepted the application. He added that Turkey maintained its reform and amendment process, partially because it wanted to become an EU member, but also because the Turkish people wanted them.

Straw said whether or not to join the euro zone would be Turkey’s own decision and that Britain’s conservative party, led by British Prime Minister David Cameron, was sincere when it said it wanted to see Turkey in the EU.

Commenting on Turkish-Israeli relations, Straw said Israel should apologize to Turkey for the attack on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla, and had Israel apologized, it would have strengthened its hand. Straw said Israel could still apologize, and noted that Turkey had assumed an important and effective role in the Middle East.

Regarding President Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria, Straw stated that it was shocked by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s strong statements against the violence, and that Turkey’s possibility to impose sanctions on Syria was a good thing. Straw said Erdogan was a successful leader whose party had won three general elections.

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[02] Turkish Cypriot political leaders comment on Jack Straw’s statements

Turkish Cypriot daily Haberdar (14.10.11) asked political leaders to comment on the statements of the former British Foreign Minister Jack Straw. National Unity Party’s (UBP) Huseyin Ozgurgun said that Straw’s statements do not reflect the official policy of Britain, however he is an important politician who knows well the Cyprus problem and we can characterize his statement as an important evaluation. It is an evaluation that the international community discusses behind closed doors, but it is never expressed officially, alleged Ozgurgun and added that Straw’s statements have been noted down in political literature as a different view on the Cyprus problem.

The leader of Freedom and Reform Party (ORP) Turgay Avci said that Straw’s statements are well matched to their own statements that “this is the last chance.” He also claimed that the international community has realized that there must be an end in the Cyprus negotiations, something which is hopeful and joyful for them.

Ozkan Yorgancioglu, leader of the Republican Turkish Party ?United Forces (CTP-BG), said that his party from its establishment has been against the division of the island. He argued that very possibly such a statement by Straw intended to remind the existing situation and the probable risks that arise from non solution.

Democratic Party’s leader (DP), Serdar Denktas said: “As a matter of fact, Straw eventually stressed out something that has been in the mind of the two communities for many years.” He alleged that this should be the basis of the negotiations and they should research methods which would allow the economic cooperation of the “two states.”

Mehmet Cakici, leader of the Social Democracy Party (TDP) said that until now the UK was silent and the reason for addressing threats to the Greek Cypriots through a former foreign minister is in order to avoid the British bases becoming an issue of the agenda. He said that by saying that “Greek Cypriots do not represent the whole island,” they want to remind that they also have rights.

Democracy and Trust Party (DGP) leader Tahsin Ertugruloglu, inter alia, said: “Already the oil issue, since it came to the agenda, shows that we are in the beginning of a process which registers two separate states. Coming to the statement of the former Minister of FA, I say that he did a correct evaluation. …The great forces implemented, knowingly, a policy according to their own interests. Whereas now they implement a policy based on the realities.”