|
Christofias firm on settlers
President Christofias is prepared to give citizenship of the United
Federal Republic of Cyprus to 50,000 mainland Turkish settlers, but no
more.
In a bold move, Christofias told an audience at Swedish Institute of
Foreign Policy in Stockholm that he was ready to go some way is
assuaging Turkish Cypriot concerns on the settlers.
"This is a courageous decision and a message to Turks and other
people who worry. We have our limits, we cannot accept the Turkish
demand that all mainland Turkish settlers are citizens of the 'Turkish
Republic of Northern Cyprus'. This is not possible to accept," he said.
Between 100,000 and 150,000 Turks brought over from Anatolia have
settled in northern Cyprus since 1974, skewing the demographics of the
island and complicating efforts for a settlement.
Christofias' remarks came a day after the launch of talks with
Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat amid signs of a wide rift
between the two sides as revealed by the opening statements of the two
leaders.
While Foreign Minister Markos Kyprianou accused the Turkish Cypriot
leadership of hardening its positions, Talat came under fire in the
north for not being tough enough.
Talat has hit back at President's Christofias' remark that Greek
Cypriots cannot go an inch beyond the bi-zonal, bi-communal federation
stipulated in the 1977 high-level agreements.
The 1977 Makarios-Denktash agreement was a "major concession,"
Christofias said, because it meant Greek Cypriots abandoned their goal
of the unitary state that had existed up until the Turkish invasion.
But Talat seemed unimpressed, claiming Christofias could not cite this as a bargaining chip.
The Greek Cypriot side wanted something for nothing, he suggested.
"I have heard Mr Christofias' statements, and I think they were
unfortunate and weird," Talat told newsmen after an extraordinary
session of 'parliament'.
"When you speak of concessions, it means that you have given
something," he added, wondering why Christofias "is going back 31 years
when there have been several agreements since 1977 but also a
substantial body of work by the United Nations."
The Republic was never a unitary state in the first place, Talat said, but rather had a functional federal system.
What happened in 1977 was simply that Turkish Cypriots acquired
their own territory and the right to run their own affairs, he added.
To back up his argument, Talat said the 1977 agreement did not mention that the Republic would "evolve" into something else.
Despite the vast gap that emerged this week in the communities'
interpretation of a reunified Cyprus, Talat has nevertheless been
taking a lot of heat in the north for not being tough enough in dealing
with Christofias.
Polls show Talat trailing behind the hawks in the north, and the 56-year-old risks defeat in elections next year.
One of his chief detractors is Serdar Denktash, leader of the
Democratic Party (DP) and son of former Turkish Cypriot strongman Rauf
Denktash.
After a stormy session of 'parliament' yesterday, Denktash Jr walked out in protest, claiming his party had been gagged.
The body had been convened by Talat so he could inform politicians
on the results of his meeting with Christofias. Speaking to reporters
outside the building, Denktash said he left the room because the
'government' tried to stop his party from voicing its views.
Denktash further complained that Turkish Cypriot 'Prime Minister'
Ferdi Sabit Soyer had treated him with sarcasm as he was stepping up to
the podium.
Talat himself confirmed an argument had preceded Denktash's walkout, but declined further comment.
Cyprus
Weekly 29 August - 5 September 2008
|
