A Mediterranean Battlefield - Syria

[Ed Jewett]

Russia will send two nuclear-powered submarines to protect the island's right to exploration

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2011"Russia will send two nuclear-powered submarines to protect the island's right to exploration in its maritime zone."

Crisis in the Mediterranean

Hurriyet Daily News
ROBERT ELLIS

History has a habit of repeating itself, also in Cyprus. In 1964 escalating hostilities between the two communities led to the threat of war between Greece and Turkey. Both the United States and the Soviet Union were aware that they faced the most dangerous confrontation since the Cuban missile crisis the year before, but disaster was finally averted.
Now Greek Cyprus faces a new confrontation with Turkey, but this time with American, Russian, Greek and Israeli support. In 2007 the Republic of Cyprus concluded agreements with Egypt and Lebanon delineating their respective maritime boundaries and exclusive economic zones, and last year a similar agreement was concluded with Israel.
The bone of contention between Turkey and Greek Cyprus concerns the latter's sovereign right, based on the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea, to carry out exploration and drill for hydrocarbons in its exclusive economic zone. Turkey, which is not among the 162 states which have signed the convention, claims that it has rights in an area which runs from its southern coast to the northern coast of Egypt.
In November 2008 Norwegian exploration vessels were harassed by Turkish warships off the southern coast of Cyprus, which caused the country to block the opening of the energy chapter in Turkey's accession talks. Foreign Minister Markos Kyprianou accused Turkey of behaving "like the neighborhood bully," and Turkey's chief EU negotiator, Egemen Bağış, in turn said that "a small sunshine member state" was obstructing Europe's energy needs.
Three years ago a U.S. company, Noble Energy, received a concession to explore for hydrocarbons in Cyprus' exclusive economic zone, and accordingly plans to begin drilling for natural gas on Oct. 1. Last month Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet DavutoÄŸlu stated that Turkey would show "the appropriate reaction" if any further step is taken; meanwhile, an appeal to the United States to take action has been rebuffed.
Greek Cyprus has received support both from Russia and Israel and according to a recent report Russia will send two nuclear-powered submarines to protect the island's right to exploration in its maritime zone. It is also reported that the Turkish navy and air force are planning exercises in the area beginning Sept. 15.
The Republic of Cyprus now has its back to the wall. With regard to the ongoing reunification talks, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has told the two leaders, Dimitris Christofias and DerviÅŸ EroÄŸlu, to reach convergence on all core issues by the end of October. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ErdoÄŸan has also made it clear that if a settlement is not reached by 2012, Turkey will consider "different alternatives."
On July 11 another bombshell was dropped, almost literally. Some 98 containers of Iranian munitions, confiscated from a Cypriot-flagged Russian freighter on its way to Syria at the end of January 2009 and then stored in an open field, exploded. The explosion not only destroyed the nearby Vassiliko power station, which provided more than half Greek Cyprus' energy, but also the Greek Cypriots' confidence in their president.
A classified report leaked to the Greek Cypriot daily Simerini reveals that the government had received offers of help to dispose of the cargo from the U.S., Britain, France and Germany but refused. Instead, at a meeting between Christofias and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in September 2009, Christofias had assured Assad that the cargo would remain in Cyprus until it could be returned to either Syria or Iran.
According to a cable from the U.S. ambassador in Cyprus, since the election of Christofias in 2008, "we have witnessed an ideologically-motivated attempt to turn back the clock to the heydays of the nonaligned movement. He has publicly praised Fidel Castro, welcomed a new Venezuelan Embassy to Nicosia, lauded Iran, and vilified NATO and the Partnership for Peace."
Next July the Republic of Cyprus will take over the EU term presidency, so it would be unfortunate if the island once again becomes the scene of a Cold War-style confrontation.
*Robert Ellis is advisor to the Turkey Assessment Group in the European Parliament.