Straw: "Turkey plays an important and effective role in middle east"

Jack Straw, former foreign secretary of Britain, said yesterday in an interview that in case there was no progress in terms or solving the Cyprus problem, international community should support the division of the island. When reminded that the Greek Cypriot administration takes over presidency of the EU in July 2012, Straw said, “Greek Cypriots will have a responsibility to the EU and thus once it becomes the term president, it would have to leave aside its national responsibilities and represent the entire EU.” Touching upon the Greek Cypriot administration’s oil and natural gas exploration efforts in Eastern Mediterranean, Straw said that this was the most dangerous series of events which has ever occurred in the Mediterranean, adding that international negotiations and calmness are needed on the issue. “To me, the Greek Cypriot administration cannot say it represents the entire Cyprus, because it doesn’t. Accordingly, it shouldn’t represent the seabed, either,” said Straw. On Turkey’s EU membership bid, Straw said that such EU-member countries as France and the Greek Cypriot administration were responsible for the current negotiation pace between Turkey and the EU which has slowed down. Straw recalled that France has supported Turkey’s membership six years ago and Greek Cypriots also admitted the application, saying that Turkey has been maintaining its reform process partially because it wanted to become an EU member, but also because the Turkish people wanted them. In reply to a question about Turkish-Israeli relations, Straw said that Israel should apologize to Turkey for its attack on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla. He added that Turkey played an important and effective role in the Middle East and that Turkey’s possibility to impose sanctions on Syria was a good thing.