Eroglu: 43 years of negotiations are too long, what is needed now is the will
In statements to Turkish Cypriot news agency (TAK) before the meeting in New York, Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis, Eroglu described the summit as “turning point”.
He said the Turkish Cypriot side has conveyed numbers on property and citizenship to the UN, as requested by the UN S-G in his letter of 6 January 2012.
He added that except for the issue of guarantees all other issues would be discussed during the summit especially those of property and the election of president. He said that the map and the numbers on the territory issue will be discussed at the very end and after a date for a multilateral conference has been set, and that the UN Secretary-General has been committed to this in a report he submitted to the Security Council. Eroglu said that they would ask the UN Secretary-General to set a date for a multilateral conference.
Referring to the issue of the cross-voting, Eroglu said that they had told the Greek Cypriot side during the first summit at Green Tree that the cross-voting could have no relation with the rotating presidency.
Eroglu said that President Christofias has been setting conditions and asking for the return of Morphou or the Karpass in order to negotiate.
He
also said there would be greater understanding Christofias realizes that his interlocutors are the Turkish Cypriots.
If no solution is reached by 1 July, when Cyprus takes over the EU presidency, the UN Secretary-General will report to the Security Council whether a solution can be found to the Cyprus problem or not with his good offices mission. Negotiations after 1 July would be meaningless, he added.
“The negotiations have been going on for 43 years. There is no meaning in extending negotiations that lasted so long. There is no aspect of the Cyprus problem that has not been discussed. What is needed is the will for a solution”, he said
Turkish Cypriot side doesn’t want an imposed solution either
The Turkish Cypriot side does not want a solution to be imposed in Cyprus either, Kudret Ozersay, special advisor of the Turkish Cypriot leader, has said.
He said the Turkish Cypriot side is stressing the need to hold a multilateral conference on the Cyprus problem, not because it wants an imposed solution.
”The Turkish Cypriot side does not want an imposed solution either. But if we do not complete all the elements of this last stage and we delay the solution of the Cyprus problem, the passage of time will impose another solution on us. When you run away from what you call imposed solution, you impose another solution on yourself, because of time.
He added that the Greek Cypriot side should understand that life goes on, and from the point of view of property, the economy, citizenships, generations change.
Asked why they had arrived one day earlier in New York, Ozersay said that he had had meetings with the UN Secretary-General’s deputy for political affairs and his advisors and with permanent representatives of the permanent members of the UN Security Council. He noted that these were preparatory meetings aiming at sounding things out before the tripartite summit, understanding what the intention of the UN was, sharing some views and putting forward the “determination of the Turkish Cypriot side regarding the solution of the Cyprus problem”.
“We saw that the UN is determined. I hope that these will turn into some concrete steps, that real negotiations will be held at Greentree and that these will bring concrete results”, he added.
US urges reunification
“We urged the leaders to seize this important opportunity to make real and substantial progress toward a settlement reunifying the island as a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation ”, the US State Department said in a statement...............