EU, Turkey Begin Accession Talks

"This will be remembered as an important step in the future," Gul said. (Reuters)

"We have completed an important milestone in relations between Turkey and the EU," said a smiling Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul at a late-night press conference with EU leaders.

"This will be remembered as an important step in the future," he added.

Gul attended talks on science and research - the first of 35 policy "chapters" to be negotiated in the membership talks with the 25-nation bloc.

The negotiating session was largely formal, and the discussions were expected to be completed almost straightaway.

Ankara won an EU green light last October to start membership talks, albeit being told they would last at least a decade.

Turkey has been trying to join the European club since the 1960s.

Its bid has come increasingly into question, especially after French and Dutch voters rejected a draft EU constitution earlier this year, partly over concerns about the entry into the EU of the secular but mainly Muslim country of 72 million.

Rocky Road

Ankara will still have to survive 69 EU voting before negotiations are concluded.

EU foreign ministers warned that tension between Turkey and Cyprus risks clouding the talks so long as Ankara refuses to normalize ties with the Cypriot government in Nicosia.

"Failure to implement its obligations in full will affect the overall progress in the negotiations," it said in a carefully-worded compromise formula to appease Nicosia and keep pressure on Ankara.

Cyprus, which as a member state has power of veto, had refused to agree to the first detailed talks until Turkey recognized the Cypriot government and fully implemented the so-called Ankara protocol.

Before Monday's agreement, there was shuttle diplomacy involving Turkey, European Union Commission, Cyprus and Greek officials in an attempt to find a solution to the stand-off.

Last year Turkey had signed the additional protocol of the Ankara Treaty which extended Turkey's custom union agreement to the 10 new members of the European Union including Greek Cyprus too.

The signing of the additional protocol had been a condition imposed by the European Union prior to the opening of accession talks with Turkey last October.

At the time Turkey specified that its signing of the protocol did not imply recognition of Greek Cyprus.

Turkey has since then declined to implement the European Union protocol by opening its ports to Greek Cyprus, due to the lack of a settled solution to the division of the island between the Turkish north and the Greek south.

Cyprus has been divided along ethnic lines since 1974 when Turkey took control of the northern part of the island in response to a Greece-backed coup which aimed to unite the island with Greece.

Peace hopes in the divided Mediterranean island had faded in 2004 after Greek Cypriots overwhelmingly voted against the UN peace plan which was approved by the Turkish Cypriot side in a simultaneous referendum.

The southern Greek side of Cyprus joined the European Union as representative of the whole of the island on 1 May 2004.

Neither Ankara nor the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which is only recognized by Turkey, recognize the Greek Cypriot Administration.

Toy

The Turkish press said Tuesday the country has turned into a "toy" for Cyprus as it strives for EU membership.

"A rough start," wrote the left-leaning Cumhuriyet, referring to the talks.

Several commentators harshly criticised both Cyprus for its stance and Turkey for putting up with it.

"Turkey has turned into a toy for a country of a few hundred thousand people," said a commentator in the mass-circulation Hurriyet, calling on Ankara to end the "mascarade".

Many newspapers stressed that Turkey would continue to face veto threats from the Cypriot government as the EU votes on the opening and closing of each of the 35 detailed policy chapters, plus a final vote when all the chapters are completed.

"At least 69 more crises to go with Europe," headlined the liberal Radikal.

"Cyprus will continue to be capricious on the political front until the last minute... (inflicting) Chinese torture" on Ankara, a commentator in Milliyet, another liberal daily, wrote, calling for action from Brussels.

"The EU should either stop the Cypriot administration from acting capriciously whenever and wherever it wants, or should change its rule for a unanimous vote in order to get work done."