4/2/2003
Interview with Ambassador of Spain Ignacio Garcia-Valdecasas
Ergüçlü:
Ambassador Valdecasas of Spain. The Ambassador of Spain to Cyprus. Wellcome to our studio Mr. Ambassador.
Valdecasas:
Thank you very much.
Ergüçlü:
We thank you for accepting our invitation for this interview which I hope will be enlightening for our people, for the Turkish Cypriot people, who are very interested in learning whats going on between the Greek Cypriot Administration and the European Union and maybe Turkeys relations with the European Union. And your country Spain now holds the Presidency of the European Union for one more month, until the end of June. Mr. Ambassador, the EU officials make public statements, saying that the Greek Cypriot Administration, or the Republic of Cyprus as they call it, will become a member of the EU whether the Cyprus problem is solved or not. The Turkish side believes that this encourages the Greek Cypriot side to be intransigent at the negotiating table, where the two leaders are seeking a solution to the Cyprus problem. What would be your comment on this?
Valdecasas:
Well, first of all I would like to thank you for your hospitality and to make two previous general comments. First I am new in this matter. This is a very complex question, the Cyprus problem. I must apologise first of all because I dont grasp absolutely the whole problem. I will try to be as precise as possible.
But on the other side as you know a foreign ambassador have to be prudent, reserved. On the one hand because the talks are under the principle of confidentiality and we are not supposed to know the details of the negotiation going on. On the other hand because an ambassador have to be always very respectful to the foreign countries.
But as far as your first question is concerned I think that you are making reference to the Helsinki Agreement in December 99 and it is not exactly as you put it, if you allow me to make some explanation. The Helsinki decisions says that no agreement on a solution of the Cyprus problem is not a precondition, so the agreement is not a precondition for the entry of Cyprus in the European Union. Similar to what you said but it is not exactly the same. And when you say officials in the English sense of the word, I dont think this is very exact because the Helsinki Agreement was taken by the European Council which is composed by the head of states and the head of government of the 15 member state.
The last part of the question about the different position of the negotiating parties. Now the situation is under the principle of confidentiality. But those talks are being held under the leadership of the United Nations, especially the Security Council and the Secretary General. The Secretary General is very much involved in those talks, and his special advisor envoy Ambassador De Soto. At the last day everybody will know what happened during the talks and what were the positions of the different parties.
Ergüçlü:
Mr. Ambassador, actually when I was talking about the officials, EU officials, I was referring specifically to Mr. Gunther Verheugens statements on Cyprus, the Commissioner responsible from enlargement.
Valdecasas:
I have 11 years in Brussels and I am not sure that you can call the member of the commission, a commissioner, an official, I am not sure. But in any case the decision is not the commission decision, the decision is the decision of the council. The council takes all the decision in this matter, of particular importance by the unanimity of all the member states of the European Union.
Ergüçlü:
Mr. Ambassador, my next question would be on a technical issue. The Turkish side argues that the Greek Cypriot application to the EU is a violation of the 1960 agreements which prevents the Republic of Cyprus" from becoming a member of any international organisation of which the Guarantor powers are not members. What do you think about this argument?
Valdecasas:
Well, first of all fortunately you said it was a difficult technical question. And secondly at the beginning of our interview I said that unfortunately I am not well acquainted with all the technicalities of the dossier. But I dont want to evade the question. I can tell you as far as every member, this legal question was studied thoroughly and in depth in European Union legal services in connection with the legal services of the United Nations, and the Security Council decisions.
Ergüçlü:
So you would say that there is no...
Valdecasas:
I would not say exactly what you meant. I can tell you that this question was studied thoroughly before the decision taken by the European Council in Helsinki. In fact when you have been in Brussels you know the decision making process is so complicated, so bargainsome, but gives the guarantee that everybody is heard, that all the relevant factors are always taken into account, not for this particular decision or for the other. The European Union takes all the relevant factors in all the decision. And it cannot be otherwise because there are 15 member state, we have a court of justice in Luxembourg, European Parliament, we have the commission with some executive power, the council, the economic and social council, the unions and businessmen association of our representatives, the regional committee. So everybody is there and everybody, is the legal service of the commission, the legal service of the council, the legal service of the European Parliament. Everybody is heard, everybodys opinion. The decision is taking into account all the aspects.
Ergüçlü:
Another point
I want to raise with you Mr. Ambassador is the security issue. Because security
is very very important for the Turkish Cypriots, Im sure you would understand
that looking at the history of the Cyprus problem. And
Turkish Cypriots believe that their security can
only be guaranteed by their motherland, Turkey and no one else. With this
belief, if they are going to become a member of the EU, maybe after a settlement
of the Cyprus problem, they would want to see Turkey either in the EU with them
or in a special relationship with the EU, so as to safeguard the security of the
Turkish Cypriots. Do you think this is possible?
Valdecasas:
Well I think your question is very pertinent. The question of the security in the island is of utmost importance for both communities, Turkish Cypriots and the Greek Cypriots. What you said about the special relation of Turkey with the European Union, you are completely right. But we have already, the European Union has already a very, not a special relation, a very special relation with Turkey. First of all we have the association agreement, secondly we have the customs union, thirdly Turkey is a member of partnership for Europe and fourthly Turkey is a candidate member. Turkey is participating in the convention for the future of Europe on an equal footing with all the candidate member and all the member state of European Union. We are looking forward to Turkey becoming a new member state of the European Union. For the security matter in concrete, as far as I know, and I dont know very much about what is going on in the talks, there are several proposals on the table as far as I know that could solve this question, to the satisfaction of both communities.
Ergüçlü:
So in general it could be possible for Turkey to enter into a special relationship, securitywise.
Valdecasas:
But Turkey is already in a special relationship with the European Union. It is a very close, not just a close association, custom union. We have a custom, we are a custom union. European Union and Turkey are already a custom union. Turkey is a candidate member, and is participating in all the fora as a candidate member and we are looking for Turkey to become a member.
Ergüçlü:
Do you think it will be possible for the EU to give a date for the start of accession talks with Turkey before the end of this year?
Valdecasas:
Well this is a question I am in a very bad position to answer. Because I am not the ambassador of Spain in Turkey, I am not in charge of the relation between and Spain and Turkey.
Ergüçlü:
But you do understand how ...
Valdecasas:
I have been 11 years in Brussels and you know, I could give a general answer to a general question of this type. Well, you know, everybody knows the accession talks and the accession proper needs all candidate state to meet a series of previous condition, previous criteria. Political criteria called Copenhagen Criteria and the economic criteria. First the political criteria, then the economic criteria of being a market economy. Being a market economy with the possibilities of persisting, facing the difficulties of the competition of the European Union single market. And finally the judicial and administrative capacity to work as a normal member state, in all the level of the administration and the state. And giving you a general answer for all candidate states for all of them, as soon as the political criteria are met, the negotiations can start. As soon as the other three criteria, market economy, resisting competitions, threats of the European Union single market, the judicial and administrative capacity, takes place the accession. And this applies indifferently to all candidate states and what I can assure you once again is that we are looking forward to having Turkey as a member state inside the Community, the European Union.
Ergüçlü:
How was Spains accession?
Valdecasas:
I still remember, it was not so long ago. We almost negotiated, after meeting the political criteria. It took us many years. We negotiated after that for eight whole years.
Ergüçlü:
How long did it take you to fulfil the political criteria?
Valdecasas:
You put me a very difficult position. Now it is a history. I think that the first application to enter the Community was made in the 60s. And we met the criteria at the end of the 70s. The political criteria took us 15 years to meet the political criteria, which allow us to start the negotiations. And after we start the negotiations I think it took 8 years. But this is so close in our history. We remember so well what this all meant for Spain, for Spanish people. And all the good it gave us, entering the European Union, at the time the European Community. Because this meant the modernisation of Spain, in political, economic and social terms. And a greater prosperity. Democratic stability. And modernising Spain as I told you before. The Spanish people are very much in favour of enlargement. Maybe one of the people in the European Union which are most in favour of enlargement. Because we want what happened to us will happen hopefully to all candidate states. We have a sense of solidarity if you say so.
Ergüçlü:
Maybe you have a sense of Mediterranean solidarity as well as
Valdecasas:
Of course with a Mediterranean country we share the same concern for Mediterranean peace, stability and prosperity.
Ergüçlü:
If there is no solution to the Cyprus problem by the end of this year and the Greek Cypriots become a member of the EU, what do you think the consequences would be? What reaction do you expect Turkey to show?
Valdecasas:
This question really I cannot answer. Because we are not working with any plan B. There is no plan B in European Union. There in only plan A. European Union is working on the assumption that an agreement which is possible, and that we want very much an agreement to be reached, that is possible, and agreement will be reached It will be reached on time to allow a united Cyprus to a enter the European Union as a normal member state. We fully support the leadership of the United Nations at the ongoing talks. Chief of the Kofi Annans, General Secretary, and his advisor Ambassador De Soto. And we think that European Union is ready to receive a united Cyprus, as far as the North is concerned, even the financial allocation has been earmarked, has been prepared to help the North to develop quickly and to face the competition of the European Union single market. We are not working with a plan B, we are only working with a plan A and we are sure that agreement will take place and on time to allow to permit a united Cyprus entering as a normal member state of the European Union.
Ergüçlü:
Mr. Ambassador, what would be your suggestions to the two leaders, in their efforts to reach a settlement?
Valdecasas:
You can be sure that I will never give any suggestion to such big leaders of both communities. In fact you know in Europe, as Ambassadors we are officials. And officials never give suggestions to politicians.
Ergüçlü:
Maybe hopes and wishes
Valdecasas:
Perhaps in private and if they insist. Very rarely, but in any case in private and if they insist. Politicians dont ask opinion. I will never take any initiative of giving any suggestion to high politicians. You can be sure. We are very disciplined officials of our respective governments.
Ergüçlü:
Ambassador Valdecasas of Spain. Thank you very much for accepting our invitation and granting us this interview. Thank you.
Valdecasas:
I thank you very much. It was very kind of you. Thank you.