MGK Meeting, For Fate of Cyprus

One of the most critical meetings of the recent times is going to take place in Ankara today. Following the meeting, in which the fate of Cyprus will be shaped, Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan will fly to Davos to join the World Economic Forum. The stance of Turkey concerning the Cyprus issue and the Annan Plan will be clarified in the meeting, which is expected to eliminate the differences of opinion between the Foreign Ministry and Joint Staff. An official said that a common attitude had to be shaped before Prime Minister Erdogan met UN Secretary General Kofi Annan in Davos and U.S. President George Bush in Washington. The official said, “The reason for this is that, when Erdogan flew to Washington he should be able to declare on which principles Turkey is ready to sit at the negotiation table.” Even though the Joint Staff and Foreign Ministry had similar views on most of the amendments that should be made in the Annan Plan, there are some issues on which they diverge. These points can be summarized as follows:• Number of Troops: The Foreign Ministry proposes that the number of Turkish troops in the island can be reduced to 6 thousand in 40 months and to zero, when Turkey becomes an EU member. However, the Joint Staff insists that reduction in the number of troops should be put forward as a condition vis-à-vis EU for full membership. Moreover, even if Turkey becomes a member of EU there should be at least 2 thousand troops in the island to show the presence of Turkey.• Guarantorship: The Foreign Ministry says that an article can be added to the Annan Plan to state that the guarantorship of Turkey and Greece will continue. On the other hand the Joint Staff argues that such an addition may be interpreted as Turkey embracing the EU law, which can be inconvenient for Turkey since she is not a member of the Union yet.• Borders: The Foreign Ministry states that first of all, maps can be tackled and most of Guzelyurt can be given away. According to the Joint Staff the maps are insufficient and only the map foreseeing 29.9% of the territory should be focused on. Moreover, the Army insists that Guzelyurt which is the sole water resource of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), should not be given.• British Bases: The Foreign Ministry states that the British bases may be kept separate from the total area of the island and the guarantorship agreements of Britain might continue to be valid. Whereas, the Joint Staff says that Britain cannot bring a third power to these bases and this point should be clarified in the accession agreements of Cyprus.• Property Issues: The Foreign Ministry proposes that this issue can be solved on the basis of the EU law and an outright exchange method will mean modifying the whole philosophy of the Annan Plan, which renders it impossible to commence negotiations. However, according to the Joint Staff, the EU law should not be taken into consideration until Turkey becomes a full member of the Union. It says that the property issue should be tackled on the basis of the exchange method, because, otherwise the Turkish side will face losses.Diplomatic TrafficFollowing the MGK meeting, Prime Minister Erdogan will proceed to Davos to join the meetings of the World Economic Forum. Erdogan is expected to meet Annan on Saturday. He will return to Turkey Saturday night and he will meet Turkish Cypriot President Rauf Denktas on Sunday, ahead of his visit to U.S. This meting might take place under the chairmanship of President Ahmet Necdet Sezer.�