Turkey says it won't give up rights on Cyprus
Turkey will never abandon its rights as a "guarantor" power on Cyprus, even if a peace deal is signed between Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders later this year, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Cemil Cicek said on Monday.
Cicek was speaking in northern Cyprus on the 35th anniversary of Turkey's invasion of the island, which took place five days after a brief Greek-inspired coup. (Reuters)
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340 ... 01,00.html
Turkey says it won't give up rights on Cyprus
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Turkey says it won't give up rights on Cyprus
by Lit » Tue Jul 21, 2009 5:47 am
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by Lit » Tue Jul 21, 2009 6:01 am
More warnings from Turkey......
Turkey warns Cyprus talks can’t go on forever
http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/news- ... rever.html
The current window of opportunity for resolving the decades-old Cyprus issue cannot remain open forever, a senior Turkish governmental official said on Monday, warning that Ankara will not give up its rights stemming from being a guarantor country of the divided island of Cyprus.
Last week, a day after the Turkish capital said it wanted talks aimed at reunifying the ethnically divided island to conclude soon, with a referendum by the end of the year, a senior Greek Cypriot official said that the pace of Cyprus reunification talks offers little prospect of a deal and referendum in the timeframe sought by Turkey.
In a speech delivered at a ceremony on Monday marking the 35th anniversary of the 1974 Turkish military intervention, which is celebrated as Peace and Freedom Day in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC), Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Cemil Çiçek said Ankara has always assumed a policy in favor of resolution of the Cyprus problem. “That's why, as the motherland and guarantor country, we are assuming a resolution-oriented policy together with the KKTC. Nonetheless, nobody should make the mistake of supposing that the Turkish sides may sacrifice their indispensable rights due to this policy,” Çiçek said, in an apparent response to the Greek Cypriot side, which recently said continuation of Turkey's security guarantees and the Turkish military presence on the island would be unacceptable under a new peace agreement.
Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat and Greek Cypriot leader Dimitris Christofias launched UN-led peace talks in September 2008 aimed at finding a comprehensive solution to the division of the island.
“We believe that it is possible to reach a comprehensive resolution by the end of 2009 if all the related parties act with a constructive understanding like the Turkish Cypriot side does,” Çiçek said. “Everybody should understand that negotiations cannot go on forever and the current window of opportunity cannot remain open forever. Reaching the goal of a comprehensive resolution is in the best interest of all parties, without exception,” he said, stressing that the Cyprus issue should not be linked to Turkey's European Union membership process.
“It should be known that it is impossible for Turkey to give up its responsibilities as the motherland and guarantor country. Turkey will never get engaged in the dilemma of ‘either Cyprus or EU',” he added.
In Athens, Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis on Sunday promised that that his countrymen “would not forget the Turkish invasion of Cyprus” on the 35th anniversary of the Turkish intervention.
Karamanlis said Greece would keep up pressure to end the division of the Mediterranean island and to bring down “the last barrier still standing on the European territory.”
“The anniversary of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus is a day to remember and at the same time confirm our commitment to searching for a fair and workable solution to the Cyprus problem,” he said in a statement.
While Athens and the Cypriot Embassy organized a religious ceremony in an Orthodox church in the Greek capital to commemorate the Greek Cypriots killed during the Turkish operation, some 400 Greek Cypriots held a demonstration in front of the Turkish Embassy in London on Sunday.
Turkey warns Cyprus talks can’t go on forever
http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/news- ... rever.html
The current window of opportunity for resolving the decades-old Cyprus issue cannot remain open forever, a senior Turkish governmental official said on Monday, warning that Ankara will not give up its rights stemming from being a guarantor country of the divided island of Cyprus.
Last week, a day after the Turkish capital said it wanted talks aimed at reunifying the ethnically divided island to conclude soon, with a referendum by the end of the year, a senior Greek Cypriot official said that the pace of Cyprus reunification talks offers little prospect of a deal and referendum in the timeframe sought by Turkey.
In a speech delivered at a ceremony on Monday marking the 35th anniversary of the 1974 Turkish military intervention, which is celebrated as Peace and Freedom Day in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC), Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Cemil Çiçek said Ankara has always assumed a policy in favor of resolution of the Cyprus problem. “That's why, as the motherland and guarantor country, we are assuming a resolution-oriented policy together with the KKTC. Nonetheless, nobody should make the mistake of supposing that the Turkish sides may sacrifice their indispensable rights due to this policy,” Çiçek said, in an apparent response to the Greek Cypriot side, which recently said continuation of Turkey's security guarantees and the Turkish military presence on the island would be unacceptable under a new peace agreement.
Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat and Greek Cypriot leader Dimitris Christofias launched UN-led peace talks in September 2008 aimed at finding a comprehensive solution to the division of the island.
“We believe that it is possible to reach a comprehensive resolution by the end of 2009 if all the related parties act with a constructive understanding like the Turkish Cypriot side does,” Çiçek said. “Everybody should understand that negotiations cannot go on forever and the current window of opportunity cannot remain open forever. Reaching the goal of a comprehensive resolution is in the best interest of all parties, without exception,” he said, stressing that the Cyprus issue should not be linked to Turkey's European Union membership process.
“It should be known that it is impossible for Turkey to give up its responsibilities as the motherland and guarantor country. Turkey will never get engaged in the dilemma of ‘either Cyprus or EU',” he added.
In Athens, Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis on Sunday promised that that his countrymen “would not forget the Turkish invasion of Cyprus” on the 35th anniversary of the Turkish intervention.
Karamanlis said Greece would keep up pressure to end the division of the Mediterranean island and to bring down “the last barrier still standing on the European territory.”
“The anniversary of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus is a day to remember and at the same time confirm our commitment to searching for a fair and workable solution to the Cyprus problem,” he said in a statement.
While Athens and the Cypriot Embassy organized a religious ceremony in an Orthodox church in the Greek capital to commemorate the Greek Cypriots killed during the Turkish operation, some 400 Greek Cypriots held a demonstration in front of the Turkish Embassy in London on Sunday.
- Lit
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- Joined: Tue Mar 24, 2009 6:32 am
- Location: Right behind ya
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