EU doesn't need a second Cyprus

Following the unrest in the Balkans the daily Der Tagesspiegel warns the EU against conducting accession talks with countries where border conflicts have not yet been resolved such as Cyprus: "Serbia still refuses to recognise Kosovo's independence. Ultimately it is this refusal and the Kosovar reaction that is the source of ever new battles. The European Union can only learn a lesson from this: It should not conduct any accession negotiations with states that have unresolved ethnic or territorial conflicts with their neighbours. In the case of Cyprus the EU made an unforgivable mistake in guaranteeing the Greek Cypriots membership of the EU before a referendum had been held on closer rapprochement between the two divided parts of the island - they promptly said no. Now their quarrel with Turkey has become a burden for the entire EU. This scenario must not be repeated."

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