Turkish Cyprus to go its own way if deal not reached
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC) President Mustafa Akıncı said they would go their own way if the two sides in the Cyprus reunification talks don't reach a fair agreement this year. Speaking to Turkish TV station NTV, Akıncı underlined that these talks are the last opportunity to unite the island under a federal system. He said the talks in Switzerland stalled because of the Greek Cypriot side's insistence on revoking guarantor rights.
"According to our agreement, the share of federal police forces on the island would be 50-50. Turkish Cypriots will be provided with their own internal security, law and order. But if the status [of the federal state] were in any danger, Turkey would have the right to intervene as a guarantor. This right was to be given not just to Turkey, but also Greece and the U.K. What the Greek Cypriot side insists on, however, is ‘zero-military,' which literally means zero-security. We cannot accept this situation," Akıncı said.
The KKTC president added that their side had also agreed to curb Turkish military presence on the island, but requesting total withdrawal of the Turkish army was "not reasonable."
"It is obvious that 40,000 soldiers are not needed [on the island], and the size will decrease once the sides agree on a solution. We can settle on numbers. In 1963, there were 650 Turkish soldiers against 950 Greek soldiers. Mr. Erdoğan voiced similar numbers recently. The numbers are not a big issue, as long as we agree on its presence. But, you cannot speak about this issue if there is a request such as "zero-military, zero-guarantee." The Greek Cypriot side must be reasonable because it is not something that would be accepted by Turkish Cypriots in a referendum," he said.
Meanwhile, the U.K. is ready to do its part to see a successful conclusion to the Cyprus peace talks, Prime Minister Theresa May told the British parliament yesterday. "I am hopeful that the talks will be able to continue to come to a solution; we think we are closer to a solution than we have been before," May told lawmakers, days before she makes a one-day trip to Turkey. May confirmed she had already spoken to Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan about the Cyprus question.
"We stand ready as a guarantor to play our part in ensuring we can see a successful conclusion of these talks and see the reunification of Cyprus, [something] which people have been working on for some time," May added.
"According to our agreement, the share of federal police forces on the island would be 50-50. Turkish Cypriots will be provided with their own internal security, law and order. But if the status [of the federal state] were in any danger, Turkey would have the right to intervene as a guarantor. This right was to be given not just to Turkey, but also Greece and the U.K. What the Greek Cypriot side insists on, however, is ‘zero-military,' which literally means zero-security. We cannot accept this situation," Akıncı said.
The KKTC president added that their side had also agreed to curb Turkish military presence on the island, but requesting total withdrawal of the Turkish army was "not reasonable."
"It is obvious that 40,000 soldiers are not needed [on the island], and the size will decrease once the sides agree on a solution. We can settle on numbers. In 1963, there were 650 Turkish soldiers against 950 Greek soldiers. Mr. Erdoğan voiced similar numbers recently. The numbers are not a big issue, as long as we agree on its presence. But, you cannot speak about this issue if there is a request such as "zero-military, zero-guarantee." The Greek Cypriot side must be reasonable because it is not something that would be accepted by Turkish Cypriots in a referendum," he said.
Meanwhile, the U.K. is ready to do its part to see a successful conclusion to the Cyprus peace talks, Prime Minister Theresa May told the British parliament yesterday. "I am hopeful that the talks will be able to continue to come to a solution; we think we are closer to a solution than we have been before," May told lawmakers, days before she makes a one-day trip to Turkey. May confirmed she had already spoken to Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan about the Cyprus question.
"We stand ready as a guarantor to play our part in ensuring we can see a successful conclusion of these talks and see the reunification of Cyprus, [something] which people have been working on for some time," May added.
Last Update: January 25, 2017 22:38