21 November 2002
Grossman Says U.S. Sees Now as "Great Time" to Solve Cyprus Problem
(Under Secretary of State Marc Grossman interview with Greek TV)
(3070)
The United States believes that between now and the December 12
European Union Summit in Copenhagen is a "great, great time" to solve
the problem of Cyprus, the U.S. State Department's Marc Grossman told
Greek TV in an interview November 14.
He noted that a number of issues "will come together" at the summit,
including "a decision on Cyprus's accession to the European Union and
the possibility that Turkey would receive a date for starting
accession talks," said Grossman, the under secretary for political
affairs.
United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan's efforts to solve the
Cyprus problem are strongly supported by the United States, Grossman
said. "We will do anything that the Secretary General of the United
Nations asks us to do."
While acknowledging that the United States is not a member of the EU,
Grossman said he wanted to associate himself with comments of Greek
Foreign Minister Yeoryios Papandreou and others to the effect that the
EU Summit in Copenhagen "ought to do something positive for Turkey. A
clear signal that the continuation of progress toward the European
Union for Turkey is something we strongly support."
On the subject of Iraq, Grossman reiterated U.S. opposition to a
Kurdish state in Northern Iraq. "We have said that the kind of Iraq we
would like to see is an Iraq that is with its territorial integrity,
that's fully sovereign, that's multiethnic, that's democratic, is at
peace with its neighbors and has no weapons of mass destruction. And I
believe we can achieve these goals and that the Kurds would be lots
better off inside a democratic Iraq," he said.
Grossman also praised Greece for its successful effort against the
November 17 terrorist organization and again expressed confidence that
Greece will have a safe and secure Olympic Games in 2004.
Following is the State Department transcript:
(begin transcript)
INTERVIEW OF UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE
FOR POLITICAL AFFAIRS MARC GROSSMAN
BY GREEK TV
November 14, 2002
Washington, D.C.
(3:30 p.m. EST)
QUESTION: We'll start with the proposal by the Secretary General.
Should the SYG have the power to impose a solution in which the two
sides might not agree. Should that be allowed?
MR. GROSSMAN: That is up to the Secretary General. What I would say to
you is that we very much support the efforts of the Secretary General
on Cyprus, the UN Good Offices Mission. And as I had a chance to say
in a speech in Greece last week, I think this is a great, great time
to try to solve this problem.
QUESTION: Why do you insist that there should be an agreement before
Copenhagen?
MR. GROSSMAN: Well, we'd like to see agreement anytime. We think that
there's an opportunity to have it before Copenhagen because a number
of things will come together there - a decision on Cyprus's accession
to the European Union and the possibility that Turkey would receive a
date for starting accession talks.
So we don't insist, but we think that there's a huge opportunity here
and we support the Secretary General and his efforts.
QUESTION: Do you believe that Cyprus accession could somehow be
jeopardized if there's no solution?
MR. GROSSMAN: Our position has been absolutely clear. As I said in
Athens -- I was standing next to your Foreign Minister -- we support
Cyprus's accession into the European Union. We think that that
accession process is a big incentive to solve the problem. We support
the Secretary General and certainly support the very courageous
decision that the European Union made in Helsinki.
QUESTION: If there's no agreement by December 12th, should the effort
continue to 2003? And how would you advise Turkey to deal with such a
situation?
MR. GROSSMAN: Well, let's do one thing at a time. I mean, our view is
that there's a great opportunity to solve this problem before the 12th
of December, and that's what everybody is working toward.
QUESTION: The plan of the Secretary General speaks of two states.
Should we take this to mean two states, as in two countries, or two
states, as in the US two states?
MR. GROSSMAN: Well, I'll leave the negotiating to the Secretary
General. You know our position. It's absolutely clear. It's been the
same for some time now. We support what the Secretary General is
trying to do.
QUESTION: How important is it for the US that the European Union sets
a specific date for the beginning of accession talks for Turkey in
Copenhagen? Could it be maybe June 2003? Does it have to be
Copenhagen? Because there is also talk for possibly setting a date for
a date.
MR. GROSSMAN: Obviously, we're not members of the European Union so
that is a decision that the European Union will have to make. But I
would just associate myself with the comments of your Foreign Minister
and others who said that Copenhagen ought to do something positive for
Turkey. A clear signal that the continuation of progress toward the
European Union for Turkey is something we strongly support.
QUESTION: So it's not a date per se, but it's a very positive message
that we are heading towards that thing would also be a positive signal
to Turkey?
MR. GROSSMAN: Well, let's step back. I mean, I think that if on the
12th of December European Union leaders have a chance to assess the
great changes in Turkey that were promulgated on the 3rd of August by
the Turkish parliament, and if they were also able to assess great
progress in Cyprus, I think one of the conclusions that they might
come to is that a date for the beginning of accession negotiations is
a way to continue that momentum.
I don't see this as some kind of a reward. I see it as a way for the
European Union to continue to encourage progress from Turkey on
important issues. And as I've said in Athens, surely credit for
democratic reforms belongs to the Turkish people, to the Turkish
parliament. But people in the European Union countries should take
credit too because I believe the Helsinki decision had a lot to do
with the ability of the Turkish parliament to pass those reforms. So I
don't say this to reward; we ought to give them more encouragement.
That is our position.
QUESTION: In case Cyprus is accepted and there is no agreement, as a
good friend of Turkey, its greatest ally, what would you be advising
Ankara to do, because there is also the concern in Greece there might
be some reaction which some think might be extreme. Should they avoid
extreme reactions against Cyprus or Turkey?
MR. GROSSMAN: Everybody should avoid extreme reactions of all sorts.
That's not the way to bring about a solution. My focus right now is on
the 12th of December, not what happens after. I think everybody --
Greek people, Turkish people, Greek Cypriots, Turkish Cypriots --
should do all they can to support the Secretary General and see if
they can't get this done by the 12th of December.
QUESTION: What is the US willing to do the next three or four weeks to
accomplish this?
MR. GROSSMAN: We will do anything that the Secretary General of the
United Nations asks us to do. When I say that we are giving this
effort our support, that's what we mean. The President told Secretary
Annan this. The Secretary said the same thing here in front of our
building on worldwide television. We support what he's doing. If he
was to call us up and ask us for something, I think we'd be very quick
to try to say yes.
QUESTION: Could the Secretary or even the President take the
initiative to call the prime ministers of the two motherlands, or even
Mr. Clerides and Denktash, if that's what it takes?
MR. GROSSMAN: Our President certainly is in close contact with the
Greek Prime Minister and with the President of Turkey. They'll see
each other at the NATO meeting here in Prague. So I think there is no
great mystery about our position.
QUESTION: You just mentioned Prague. Is that an area where, because
it's in this critical period, could that come up in the meeting
between the President and Mr. Sezer and Simitis there? Would he
encourage them to go the extra mile?
MR. GROSSMAN: I'd like to keep my job, so I won't predict what our
President will or won't do. But you can be assured that on our agenda
with Greece and Turkey at all levels is encouragement to try to make
progress between now and the 12th of December.
QUESTION: Let me move to Turkey itself. We have a new leader, a new
party that won. Could you tell me if the US think Mr. Erdogan is a
Muslim Democrat in the tradition of Christian Democrats in Europe or a
representative from an Islamic party that one should be worried about?
How does the US view these elections?
MR. GROSSMAN: The United States views this election as democratic
action on the part of the Turkish people. It's for the Turkish people
to decide who are their leaders and who they elect. That's their
business. Again, I associate myself with the words of Foreign Minister
Papandreou: the Turkish people exercised their rights, they elected
this government, and we'll work with this government.
QUESTION: Mr. Erdogan, who was visiting in Athens, stated that you
want a solution in Cyprus. He seems to be a little bit more moderate
than Ecevit and others in the past. Would the US assess that as a
positive development? Could one hope that there might be help towards
a solution because of the election of Mr. Erdogan in Turkey?
MR. GROSSMAN: I think the Secretary General, the other day when he was
here, said that he had been very pleased and very encouraged with the
reactions from both Greece and Turkey to this plan, and I think
everything that has been said, both on the Greek side and the Turkish
side, has led to that encouragement.
QUESTION: Including Mr. Erdogan, himself?
MR. GROSSMAN: Absolutely.
QUESTION: And Mr. Ozkok, the leader of the Turkish armed forces, and
we know what kind of role they play in Turkey, was here and he also
met with the Secretary. What are the messages that you're getting from
him, because he will play a role in the final decision in Cyprus? Is
he more willing to find a solution in Cyprus? Are the armed forces
cooperating towards that end, or are they, you know, having second
thoughts?
MR. GROSSMAN: Well, they'll have to speak for themselves. When we met
the Chief of the Turkish General Staff, as you might imagine and you
would expect us to, we encouraged him as well to look positively on
the efforts of the Secretary General.
QUESTION: And was he -- the response was positive or did he object to
the efforts of the Secretary General?
MR. GROSSMAN: Of course, that was before the Secretary General had
made his statements. And, again, he'd have to speak for himself. But I
think, as the Secretary General said, let's be encouraged by what
we've heard so far. This is a very difficult problem. It's been around
for a long time. And we may not get to a solution by the 12th of
December, but it's too soon to give up. I think we should be
courageous and optimistic here and see what we can accomplish.
QUESTION: Moving to Iraq, how much of a danger does Iraq pose to the
US given the recent somewhat different assessment of the CIA, where
they said that we don't -- if the US doesn't attack, it's less of a
danger that Saddam will attack; if he's attacked, then he might
attack?
MR. GROSSMAN: I think our President has made clear that, to the United
States, and also very much to its neighbors, a country like Iraq,
which has done nothing in 10 or 11 years to meet its obligations to
the Security Council, with chemical weapons, biological weapons,
possibly working on getting nuclear weapons, is a threat to the area.
And this is not just a threat to the area, but a threat to his own
people. Here's a guy who has used chemical weapons on his own
population, shot missiles into other countries. And so his past and
his present argue strongly that he's a threat.
The other thing I would say in terms of a threat is that he is also
somebody in the last four years where there have been no inspections.
If you think about it and say if you don't want inspectors to be there
over the last four years, what have you got to hide? And I believe
what he has to hide are important programs in the areas of weapons of
mass destruction.
QUESTION: If, by December 8th, Saddam Hussein does not -- he declares
that he doesn't possess any weapons of mass destruction, would that,
in the US view, constitute a material breach of the Security Council
resolution and therefore, for the US, give the right to military
action?
MR. GROSSMAN: It would be a very important sign of his intentions. As
Secretary Powell has said over the last couple of days, the key thing
now is what is Saddam Hussein going to do. And I also think you have
to factor into this the question of inspectors themselves. And so
we'll see. But if he doesn't turn in a paper and he's not going to
play ball with the inspectors, we'll know pretty quickly.
QUESTION: The US supports the aspiration of the Kurdish people in
Northern Iraq, and Ankara, as you very well know, is very worried
about a future independent Kurdistan. Are you telling the Kurds there
will never be an independent country for them?
MR. GROSSMAN: We have told the Kurds, we have told the Turks, and I'm
glad to tell you, that we oppose a Kurdish state in Northern Iraq. We
have said that the kind of Iraq we would like to see is an Iraq that
is with its territorial integrity, that's fully sovereign, that's
multiethnic, that's democratic, is at peace with its neighbors and has
no weapons of mass destruction. And I believe we can achieve these
goals and that the Kurds would be lots better off inside a democratic
Iraq.
QUESTION: Which could be of a federal structure?
MR. GROSSMAN: I'll leave that to the future. Our view is a sovereign,
territorial integral Iraq that is multiethnic, democratic, at peace
with its neighbors and has no weapons of mass destruction.
QUESTION: How strategically important is Turkey to the operation, like
Incirlik and other areas? And at the same time, but probably less so,
but how important is Greece to an operation given the Souda Bay in
Crete, the base there, or other arrangements that might be helpful?
MR. GROSSMAN: Well, I'm going to have to step back a little from the
question first and say that that all assumes that there is going to be
an operation.
QUESTION: In case. In case there's an operation.
MR. GROSSMAN: No, but it's a very important distinction. Where we are
right now is that the international community, through the Security
Council, has spoken clearly and directly with this Security Council
resolution, and so what we would like to do is solve this problem
peacefully. And so now this question is up to Saddam so I don't think
it's possible for me to say, you know, this base, that base, this
country, that country. The focus should not be on the possibility or
not possibility of Souda Bay or Incirlik; it should be that Saddam
Hussein should meet his responsibilities and meet them now.
QUESTION: Going to terrorism and 2004, after the success on the
November 17the front and the preparation of the Olympic Games in
Athens, is there a danger for a terrorist attack or an al-Qaida,
maybe, attack in the Games? And is the US providing police, military
or intelligence sharing or training?
MR. GROSSMAN: Well, first let me say, as I did in Athens last week, we
just are in such admiration for the work of the Greek people, the
Greek Government, what the Greek police have done, on November 17.
Here's a group that has murdered Greeks, Americans and others, and
have finally have gotten a hold of this organization. It's tremendous
and we certainly look forward to the prosecutions in the future.
I also said when I was in Athens that I am completely confident that
Greece will have a safe, secure, successful Olympic Games, and we'll
do all that we can, what the Greek Government wishes us to do, to try
to help that be true. So I don't spend my time worrying about that
because I know the Greek Government does.
With that said, Tom, if you say to me, you know, could there be a
terrorist attack anywhere in the world -- against the United States,
against our interests, against Greece, someplace in the world on any
day -- sure, and that's why we're working so hard with countries like
Greece to be in this coalition against terror together.
Again, I repeat, I think Greece will have a safe, secure and
successful Olympics because the Government of Greece is paying such
close attention to this issue.
QUESTION: And my final question. Let me get back once again on the
Cyprus issue and the role of the US, because the leader of the party
that won the Turkish elections is coming to Athens. Are you optimistic
there will be an agreement by the 12th? Is the US doing all it can to
achieve that solution? And if there is no solution, will there be
costs for Cyprus or anybody else?
MR. GROSSMAN: We are doing all we can to support this effort. I
believe the Secretary General has opened a path to a solution that
everybody should be serious about. I think the fact that the Secretary
General is encouraged makes me encouraged, and we want to continue on
that path.
And as I say, when you look ahead, I think you ought to look toward
the 12th of December with courage and optimism. We'll worry about the
13th and 14th and 15th of December after that. But let's concentrate
everybody's attention on making progress for the Secretary General.
QUESTION: Thank you very much.
MR. GROSSMAN: Thank you.
(end transcript)
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
|
NEWSLETTER
|
|
Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list
|
|
|
