Only after hours of serious haggling did EU foreign ministers manage to avoid a breakdown of EU-Turkey accession talks even before they had started.
Cyprus was opposed to formally opening and closing the first of 35 negotiation chapters between Turkey and the EU, unless Ankara meets its obligations to recognise all 10 new EU member states, including Cyprus. This also includes that Turkey should open its ports and airports to Cypriot ships and planes.
However, in spite of having pledged to do so, Ankara has still not made any concrete moves in that direction.
The closing of the first chapter on 12 June thus came with a stark warning, which was insisted upon by Cyprus. Austrian Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik said: "If there are no concrete steps here, there will be serious difficulties sooner or later. There's a risk of running into a dead end."
Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gül said: "We have different views on this point", pointing out that Greek, not Turkish Cypriots, had vetoed the island's unification in 2004. Gül called on the EU to lift its own trade embargo against northern Cyprus. According to Gül, the EU should never have admitted a divided Cyprus after the Greek Cypriots rejection of the UN peace plan.
