On Saturday, Ecevit warned that Ankara would reconsider its relations with the EU unless Brussels withdrew a requirement that Turkey settle the Cypriot problem and solve its disputes with Greece before it could become a member. This, even though Turkey undertook to do both under the terms according to which it was accepted as an official candidate for membership in December 1999. Privately, many Turks acknowledge that Turkey has few options. While it will undoubtedly anger Tel Aviv, the gesture by itself is unlikely to assuage Arab distrust of Turkey, given Ankara's recent history of cultivating close economic and military ties with Israel. Arab countries insist that Israel must withdraw fully from all territories it occupied in 1967, including East Jerusalem and the Old City.
Nobody really wants to form a separate state.
The Turkish establishment needs to rid itself of this paranoia.