Experts warn that this could be the last chance in years to reunite the island given the upcoming elections in Turkish Cyprus for a new president and a shrinking public willingness for reunification on the island, particularly among Turkish Cypriots, who voted for a UN plan to reunite Cyprus in 2004. Talat, who is pro-reunification, has said in the past he would not run for a second term if he does not see real prospects for a settlement. He is most likely to be replaced by a conservative, pro-independence leader if there is no real chance of a settlement on the island in the foreseeable future.
Last week, Davutoğlu and around 40 top diplomats held a lengthy brainstorming session to discuss steps toward a speedy settlement in Cyprus. The meeting was also attended by State Minister and chief EU negotiator Egemen Bağış.
Earlier this week, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Burak Özügergin summarized the meeting's outcome as a renewal of Turkey's willingness for “pushing for peace.” Despite noting that there was a limited time ahead due to the elections in the KKTC, Özügergin said no calendar was set for Turkey's upcoming efforts for contributing to the resolution of the Cyprus issue.
“This was not a meeting of ‘Alas, the EU is coming!' It was a meeting of ‘How do we resolve this Cyprus issue?'” Özügergin told reporters, in an implicit reference to an upcoming EU summit in December, in which the heads of state and government -- the European Council -- must decide what to do about Turkey's failure to implement its signed obligation to open its ports to Greek Cypriot air and sea traffic.
Özgürgün, when reminded by reporters yesterday of Turkey's announced approach of “pushing for peace,” said certain flexibilities could be shown in the ongoing negotiations, without making concessions on basic parameters such as political equality and the equal status of the parties. Ankara has constantly underlined its support of Talat in establishing a new partnership of two constituent states of equal status, based on political equality.
When reminded of news reports suggesting that Ankara was planning to open its ports and airports to Greek Cypriot traffic, in the case of the EU establishing direct trade with the KKTC, Özgürgün recalled that Turkey, which does not recognize the Greek Cypriot administration, has called on the EU to fulfill its commitment to end the isolation of the Turkish Cypriots as a condition for opening its ports and airports to traffic from Greek Cyprus. Özgürgün said this was the “correct” approach. However, he described an approach suggesting that ports and airports would be opened in the case of direct trade as “thought provoking,” without elaborating.
31 October 2009, Saturday
TODAY'S ZAMAN ANKARA
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