Malta blocked by Turkey

This article by Judy Dempsey of the International Herald Tribune implies that the fact that the Maltese government has not rejoined NATO's 'Partnership for Peace' may not have been out of choice but because it was blocked by Turkey. From today's International Herald Tribune:

Until last May, before the EU enlarged from 15 to 25 countries, NATO and EU envoys regularly met to discuss issues under a special security agreement known as "Berlin Plus." This agreement also gives the EU access to NATO's military assets if the alliance does not want to carry out a mission on its own. Although Austria, Sweden, Ireland and Finland, while EU members, are not members of NATO because of their neutrality, they have joined NATO's Partnership for Peace, which gives them access to the joint meetings related to security and operations.

Once neutral Cyprus and Malta joined the EU, in May, it was assumed that they, too, would join the NATO-EU meetings. Turkey, a key NATO member, objected, arguing that Cyprus and Malta were not members of Partnership for Peace, the criterion for participation. Even though NATO and EU diplomats said both countries could easily join Partnership for Peace, Turkey made it clear that it would block their admission. As a result, the EU and NATO cannot discuss serious security and intelligence issues if Cyprus and Malta are present. A NATO diplomat said Turkey was holding out on admitting Cyprus and Malta until it had received concessions from the EU. Turkey said it was waiting for the EU to deliver promised financial assistance to the Turkish-dominated northern part of Cyprus and to allow exports to be flown directly from the north to Europe.

The EU has tried to implement these measures but has been blocked by the Cypriot government led by Tassos Papadopoulos, who last year in a referendum blocked the unification of the island. "There is paralysis between the EU and NATO," said an EU official. "We do not discuss anything serious," he said. "Everybody loses out." If Turkey continues blocking Cyprus and Malta from joining the Partnership for Peace, it might force some EU countries to speed work on a defense and security policy independent of NATO. As a result, Turkey - not yet an EU member - would lose influence.

The full article on today's International Herald Tribune

NATO's Partnership for Peace

Turkish Digest with links to other Turkish sites and blogs