Turkey, an EU candidate country, should lift its embargo against Cypriot flagged vessels and thus fully implement the Customs Union Protocol it signed in late July, a Cypriot shipping official said on Wednesday.

Speaking to reporters, Andreas Drousiotis, president of the Cyprus Shipping Council, expressed hope that Turkey will lift its embargo against Cypriot ships and airplanes by March 2006.

"We have discussed the matter with the government. We clarified that lifting the Turkish embargo against Cypriot ships and airplanes is urgent and very serious. The lifting would be for the benefit of the Cypriot maritime and economy as well," he said.

Both the Cypriot government and the Shipping Council have warned that the continued ban on the docking of Cypriot-flagged ships in Turkish ports, imposed in 1987, was threatening the viability of the Cyprus flagged ships.

Cyprus had the fourth largest ship registry in the world with over 2,500 ships under its flag two years ago. Last year, Cyprus' registry dropped to the ninth place with just over 1,000 ships.

However, the island is still the third largest registry within the EU after Greece and Malta, but it can not attract European ship owners due to the restrictions imposed by Turkey.

Turkey extended its customs union in July with EU to new member states, including Cyprus, but said this did not amount to the recognition of the Republic of Cyprus.

Turkey has also refused to let Cypriot ships and planes use its ports and airports. The EU says this represents a failure to fully implement the customs accord.

Cyprus, which gained independence from Britain in 1960, has been split into Greek Cypriot south and Turkish Cypriot north since 1974 when Turkish troops took control of the northern third following a Greek-inspired coup.

Efforts by the international community to reunite the island have so far failed, and the south Cyprus joined the EU in May, 2004, leaving the north Cyprus, only recognized by Turkey, outside the bloc.

Source: Xinhua