Ankara's Policy Change

The Turkish daily Hurriyet is announcing a major policy change on Cyprus from Ankara “...Ankara has presented a proposal to Kofi Annan of the United Nations, which states that Greek Cypriot ships will be for the first time in 31 years allowed to enter Turkish ports.” The daily goes on to say that the proposal contains “reciprocal concessions” but did not specify exactly what this meant. The Turkish public will be informed of this new proposal on Tuesday. Britain’s Foreign Secretary Jack Straw will be visiting Cyprus on Tuesday where he will meet with Mr. Talat. The Foreign Minister is also expected to visit Turkey where talks will be dominated by the Cypriot issue. It certainly is becoming clear what all these meetings are about ... it is for Britain to support and promote direct trade with the Northern breakaway statelet. In return, Cypriot ships would be allowed to enter Turkish ports. If this indeed is accurate, it would solidify the division of the island. Please view my post below titled “Guarantees” to read what Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey Abdullatif Sener said about the opening of Turkish ports to Cypriot ships.