The tripartite meeting in New York started; Eroglu: “Continuation of the negotiations after 1 July would be meaningless”Under the title “They are trying to overcome the existing differences”, Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris (24.01.12) reports that the fifth tripartite meeting on the Cyprus problem started yesterday in New York with the participation of the UN Secretary-General, President Christofias and the Turkish Cypriot leader, Dervis Eroglu.
In statements to illegal TAK news agency before the meeting, Eroglu described the summit as “turning point” and argued: “If nothing comes out from this summit, I could not say that there will be something in the negotiations which we will hold afterwards”.
Eroglu said he estimated that the UN Secretary-General would try “to step in more” during this meeting and would insist on the Greek Cypriot side showing some flexibility on the suggestions that have been put forward.
Noting that in his letter of 6 January 2012, the UN Secretary-General asked from the Turkish Cypriot side to give detailed information on the property and the citizenship, Eroglu said that the Turkish Cypriot side has conveyed numbers on the property and the citizenship to the UN.
Eroglu added that except for the guarantees all the issues would be discussed during the summit in New York and especially the property and the election of the president. Eroglu reiterated that the map and the numbers on the territory issue will be discussed at the very end, that the UN Secretary-General has been committed on this in a report he submitted to the Security Council and that they will discuss this issue only after a date for a multilateral conference is determined. Eroglu said that they would ask from the UN Secretary-General to determine 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 noted that from the very beginning President Christofias has been coming to the negotiations putting some conditions and asking for the return of Morfou or Karpass in order to negotiate.
Eroglu reiterated his view that the interlocutor of President Christofias is not Ankara and argued that they will be understanding each other more easily when President Christofias realizes that his interlocutor are the Turkish Cypriots.
Recalling that the Republic of Cyprus will overtake the EU term presidency on 1 July 2012, Eroglu alleged: “Continuation of the negotiations after 1 July would be meaningless. On this date the Greek Cypriots will become term president [of the EU] and afterwards the preparations for the 2013 presidential elections will start. Therefore, continuation of the negotiations in such environment has no meaning”.
Eroglu noted that if no solution is reached by 1 July, the UN Secretary-General will announce to the Security Council whether a solution could be found to the Cyprus problem with his good offices mission. He claimed: “The sides are obliged now to put all their capital on the table and end this issue at this summit. The process will work until 1 July, but the UN Secretary-General had said that negotiations after 1 July would be meaningless. The Secretary-General could give another chance to the Greek Cypriots until 1 July, but if nothing comes out from the summit, I cannot say that something will happen in the meetings which we will have afterwards. We can say that this summit has the character of a turning point? The negotiations continue for 43 years. There is no meaning in extending negotiations that lasted so long. No aspect of the Cyprus problem remained without being discussed. What is left is only the will. If in this summit Christofias exhibits the same stance as in the past, the patience of the UN Secretary-General will be exhausted and I think he might say that this is not a problem which will be solved within the framework of his good offices mission”.