Cyprus says EU wrangle over Turkey just a foretaste

Cyprus said yesterday a wrangle with the European Union over Turkish entry talks showed that the small island nation was determined to defend its interests.

Turkey completed its first major step in accession talks with the European Union on Monday, but only after Nicosia threatened to block the talks by insisting that Ankara first be reminded of its obligation to recognise and normalise relations.

The EU-Cypriot agreement giving Turkey its first step in accession talks served notice of trouble ahead if Ankara does not respect agreements to recognise the Greek Cypriot government and open its ports and airports to traffic from Cyprus.

Georgios Lillikas, the incoming Foreign Minister replacing veteran Georgios Iacovou, said the end-result showed Nicosia was determined.

"From our perspective I don't think there is anyone now in the EU who doubts our assertiveness or decisiveness to stake, to the end, what we consider just for Cyprus," Mr Lillikas told private radio station Astra.

"The rules of the game have been defined to a great extent and (based on that) Turkey will be assessed.

"Now it is known to all that the Cypriot government cannot be taken for granted, and that the Cypriot government is determined to defend the interests of Cyprus until the end."

Monday's compromise enabled Turkey to open and close its science and research chapter, one of 35 detailed policy areas it has to agree upon with the 25 member European Union.

Mr Lillikas is said to be close to President Tassos Papadopoulos, who led his Greek Cypriot community into rejecting UN reunification proposals for Cyprus in 2004 days before the island joined the European Union as a divided state.

In some of the harshest criticism of its northern neighbour from a Greek Cypriot official, Mr Lillikas told Reuters in an interview earlier this year Nicosia would not hesitate to block Turkish talks, with the veto being an option.