Cyprus threatens to block EU-Turkey migrant deal

NICOSIA — Tiny Cyprus on Tuesday threatened to derail a proposed EU deal with Turkey to end Europe's migration crisis, warning it would not be pressured into dropping longstanding disagreements with Ankara.

EU President Donald Tusk held hastily arranged talks in Nicosia in an attempt to win Cyprus's backing for the proposal, which has been hailed as a "game-changer" for countries buckling under the burden of a mass refugee influx.

But there has been a growing pushback against the deal, with both France and the Czech Republic warning on Tuesday against attempts by Turkey to "blackmail" Europe.

Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades said his country would not accept "Turkish demands without [the] implementation of Turkey's long-pending obligations," including Ankara's official recognition of the Cyprus government.

EU and Turkish leaders agreed last week to a tentative proposal including the return to Turkey of all migrants landing in Greece. For each Syrian refugee returned, the EU agreed to take one from a Turkish camp and resettle them in Europe.

Cyprus has expressed reservations, not least as its long-time adversary Turkey expects the accord to lead to the opening of new chapters in Ankara's EU membership bid and to ease visa requirements in Europe's passport-free Schengen area.

Tusk, who later headed to Ankara for talks, admitted that "we are not there yet" in terms of a deal. 

"The Turkish proposal... still needs to be rebalanced so as to be accepted by all 28 member states and the EU institutions," he told reporters.

Migrants sent back to Greece 

"One of the issues to be sorted out is the key question of legality," Tusk said on Tuesday, after the UN's top officials on refugees and human rights questioned whether the plan would be legal.

EU leaders will tackle the issue at a crucial summit this weekend, with France warning ahead of the meeting that Turkey will not be allowed to dictate terms.

France will tell Turkey at the summit that it wants "more efficient" cooperation on the migrant crisis, but will warn against any attempt at "blackmail", Prime Minister Manuel Valls said.

Czech President Milos Zeman also lashed out at Turkey on Tuesday, claiming that Ankara was seeking billions of euros more in EU aid.

"Impolite people like myself call that blackmail," the 71-year-old veteran leftist told reporters.

Last year more than 1.2 million people sought asylum in Europe in the continent's biggest such crisis since World War II. Member states such as Greece and Italy, where arrivals are highest, are struggling to cope. 

On Tuesday, some 1,500 migrants who managed to cross into former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia despite the border being closed were sent back to Greece by its troops.

Officials said the desperate group of men, women and children had set off from an overcrowded refugee camp on the Greek side on Monday and waded thigh-deep through a river to get into former yogoslav republic of Macedonia, where they were stopped by troops.

Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonian army spokesman Toni Janevski told AFP the migrants were returned to Greece "without any incident or use of force".

A Cypriot refusal of the migrant-swap deal would effectively block the largest diplomatic push yet to ease Europe's burden of accommodating hundreds of thousands of refugees, most of whom enter the EU through Turkey.

'Not here to pressure Cyprus' 

The island of Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkish troops invaded its northern sector in response to an Athens-engineered coup attempt. 

Turkey does not recognise the Cypriot government and Nicosia has blocked six key chapters of Ankara's negotiations for EU membership since 2009, effectively halting the process.

Cyprus insists Turkey must first meet its longstanding demands for recognition, and to open up trade ties, ports and airports. 

Complicating matters further are UN-backed negotiations between the Nicosia government and the Turkish Cypriot administration, which is recognised by Ankara, aimed at reuniting the island. 

European sources say EU officials admit that they took the wrong approach to Cyprus's concerns, which were overlooked in the enthusiasm among member states for a deal.

At one point last week in Brussels, Anastasiades was involved in a heated confrontation with key European figures, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, in which he came under heavy pressure to back the accord, sources said.

Tusk's Cyprus visit was arranged at the last minute — a sign of Brussel's realisation that a new approach is needed.

"I am not here to exert pressure on Cyprus," the EU president told reporters. "I am here to listen to your position."

European leaders are still hopeful that a deal with Turkey can be reached, and the EU said on Tuesday that it had pushed back plans to overhaul the bloc's asylum system until an accord is place.