Turkish side draws bold red lines for Cyprus
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Hürriyet Daily News
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Mayıs 22, 2009 00:00
ISTANBUL - Basic parameters of a solution to the decades-old Cyprus dispute such as political equality and Turkey’s guarantorship cannot be watered down, said the new foreign minister of northern Cyprus, where the National Unity Party government received the parliament’s vote of confidence.
"A non-watered down bizonality in Cyprus, political equality of the two peoples, equal status of the two constituent states and Turkey’s efficient guarantee is a must," Hüseyin Özgürgün told reporters Thursday at a joint press conference with his Turkish counterpart, Ahmet Davutoğlu, in Ankara. "These are redlines and cannot be negotiated."
His visit came before a trip to Damascus for the foreign ministerial meeting of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, or OIC. The ascension to power of the nationalist party in northern Cyprus raised questions about the fate of ongoing negotiations on the island. But the foreign minister highlighted the government’s support for Turkish Cypriot President Mehmet Ali Talat, who has been negotiating with the Greek Cypriots, and Turkey.
For his part, Davutoğlu said tactical delays and efforts to exert pressure on Turkey by linking the Cyprus problem to the country’s bid to join the European Union were done out of goodwill. "If we, and the parties concerned, want a genuine and comprehensive peace, this should happen as soon as possible and the process should not be open ended," he said.
Court cases to hamper peace talks, FM says
Özgürgün warned that the court cases would hamper the ongoing peace talks on the island. He was referring to how the judgment by the European Court of Justice ordering British couple Linda and David Orams to demolish their house in Turkish Cyprus must be recognized by EU countries even if it concerns land in the north of the island.
He said core issues such as land and property can be resolved only through negotiations, not through legal interference. "Attempts to back our motherland Turkey and the Turkish Cypriot people into a corner will bring no solution to anybody and will deal a heavy blow to the negotiating process," he added.
The Turkish side has so far seen European Parliament elections as an opportunity to ensure the representation of the Turkish Cypriots because two out of six seats allocated for the Cypriots belong to the Turkish Cypriots but today all six seats are occupied by the Greek Cypriots.
Özgürgün said: "Two out of the six seats owned by the Greek Cypriots belong to the Turks, but it is not well-known that the Turkish Cypriots are not taking part in the elections for the two seats, thus there are two seats confiscated by the Greek Cypriots."
The two foreign ministers criticized Greek Cypriot leader Demetris Christofias who reportedly claimed that the Turkish Cypriots would be assimilated step by step after the resolution of the Cyprus problem.
Özgürgün slammed the statements of the Greek Cypriot leader as "unacceptable," while Davutoğlu said his remarks were not constructive.
His visit came before a trip to Damascus for the foreign ministerial meeting of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, or OIC. The ascension to power of the nationalist party in northern Cyprus raised questions about the fate of ongoing negotiations on the island. But the foreign minister highlighted the government’s support for Turkish Cypriot President Mehmet Ali Talat, who has been negotiating with the Greek Cypriots, and Turkey.
For his part, Davutoğlu said tactical delays and efforts to exert pressure on Turkey by linking the Cyprus problem to the country’s bid to join the European Union were done out of goodwill. "If we, and the parties concerned, want a genuine and comprehensive peace, this should happen as soon as possible and the process should not be open ended," he said.
Court cases to hamper peace talks, FM says
Özgürgün warned that the court cases would hamper the ongoing peace talks on the island. He was referring to how the judgment by the European Court of Justice ordering British couple Linda and David Orams to demolish their house in Turkish Cyprus must be recognized by EU countries even if it concerns land in the north of the island.
He said core issues such as land and property can be resolved only through negotiations, not through legal interference. "Attempts to back our motherland Turkey and the Turkish Cypriot people into a corner will bring no solution to anybody and will deal a heavy blow to the negotiating process," he added.
The Turkish side has so far seen European Parliament elections as an opportunity to ensure the representation of the Turkish Cypriots because two out of six seats allocated for the Cypriots belong to the Turkish Cypriots but today all six seats are occupied by the Greek Cypriots.
Özgürgün said: "Two out of the six seats owned by the Greek Cypriots belong to the Turks, but it is not well-known that the Turkish Cypriots are not taking part in the elections for the two seats, thus there are two seats confiscated by the Greek Cypriots."
The two foreign ministers criticized Greek Cypriot leader Demetris Christofias who reportedly claimed that the Turkish Cypriots would be assimilated step by step after the resolution of the Cyprus problem.
Özgürgün slammed the statements of the Greek Cypriot leader as "unacceptable," while Davutoğlu said his remarks were not constructive.