Cyprus President Tassos Papadopoulos said Monday that Cyprus would take its final decision regarding Turkey's European bid at the very last moment.  

Speaking to the press, Papadopoulos said Cyprus would make the decision at the EU Summit on Dec. 16-17, based on the positions of other countries and on the degree Cyprus' demands are met. He also underlined that there is a significant number of countries that support Cyprus' positions, saying that those countries deem Cyprus' demands as "logical, necessary and moderate."

Cyprus has repeatedly demanded its recognition by Turkey before the crucial EU summit so that EU's opening of membership talks with Turkey can be approved.

Papadopoulos also noted that Cyprus' demands fall within the Copenhagen criteria and do not consist political terms for Turkey. The Cyprus government is pushing hard to include a clearer reference to the normalization of relations between the Cyprus Republic and Turkey in the conclusions of the EU summit. However, Papadopoulos on the other day distanced himself from suggestions that he might veto the start of membership talks with Turkey, noting that "nobody in Europe today is peaking of a veto." Cyprus has been divided into Greek Cypriot South and Turkish Cypriot North since 1974, when Turkey sent troops to take control of the northern third of the island following a failed Greek Cypriot coup seeking union with Greece.

Turkey recognizes only the Turkish Cypriot-controlled northern Cyprus while the international community views the Greek Cypriot government in the south as the sole legitimate representative of the whole island.

Cyprus joined the EU in May together with other nine European countries.

EU leaders will decide, at the summit in Brussels this week, whether to open membership talks with Ankara.

(Xinhua News Agency December 14, 2004)