(2 March, 1999)

Greece is willing to envisage lifting its veto on the financial protocol relating to customs union with Turkey and will take an initiative with a view to strengthening common foreign and security policy. This was announced to EUROPE by Ioannis Kranidiotis, newly appointed Greek Minister for European Affairs. In addition, he called for the Union to take an initiative regarding Cyprus.

Financial protocol. “Greece is willing to negotiate its veto as long as it obtains the assurance it will receive something in return either form Turkey or, if this is not possible, from its Union partners”,. Said Mr. Kranidiotis, stating two possibilities : a) Turkey agrees that the question of the contintental plateau and the islands challenged in the Aegean Sea should be submitted to the International Court of Justice in The Hague. Then “we could review our position”, he said ; b) “If this is not possible”, then Greece could also review its position if the “EU gives it certain guarantees” -to put it clearly, if the EU takes “political commitments that guarantee and support the Greek position in the Aegean Sea”.

CFSP. In the Ocalan affair “Europe is a victim of the absence of CFSP” as the “Kurdish problem is, at the end of the day a European problem”. For Mr. Kranidiotis, the EU “should have reacted” and must still do so, as the “Kurdish problem is unresolved” (“fundamental rights of the Kurdish people” and Ocalan trial). On the basis that “Greece needs the solidarity of Europe given the problems caused by Turkey”, Mr. Kranidiotis acknowledges progress has been made (mainly due to the declaration adopted by the General Affairs Council on 22 February: see EUROPE of 22/23 February, p.3). He did specify, however : “this progress is not enough. We need far greater support. We must give Turkey the message that it must do something, as it is not negotiating on the question of Cyprus, not respecting the positions taken by the EU concerning this country, and not negotiating the demilitarisation of Cyprus, an idea backed by the UN and the EU. There should therefore be more influence put on Ankara”. And this, states Mr. Kranidiotis, requires strengthening of CFSP : “We believe Europe must strengthen the CFSP, even in its security dimension, and by creating a defence dimension. We are very open to this idea as it is an area which may help the EU to become a political Union”. Greece, “will present a memorandum on this point in coming months”, announced the Greek minister, specifying that Athens would put forward “proposals for opening the debate” and formally request that the question of strengthening CFSP be added to the agenda of the next Intergovernmental Conference on the new institutional reform.