Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper (04.06.14) reports that the Turkish Cypriot leader, Dervis Eroglu has said that the rotating presidency is an issue which the Turkish Cypriot side cannot abandon. During a meeting yesterdaywith the Izmir Nazlidere Noncommissioned Officers’ Association, Eroglu was asked whether the Greek Cypriot side made a step backwards on the rotating presidency. He said that the Greek Cypriot side wants a single voters’ list, something which is not possible for the Turkish Cypriot side to accept. He noted that both sides’ views will be discussed at the negotiating table.
Eroglu alleged that if a “new partnership state” will be established, there should be a rotation in the presidency and a Turkish Cypriot should also be able to be elected president. Otherwise, he argued, the Turkish Cypriots will not be able to say “this state is ours”.
Eroglu noted that they do not wish an agreement in which the president will be Greek Cypriot and the vice president will be Turkish Cypriot, because they experienced this in 1960 and they have allegedly been excluded from the state.
Eroglu went on and claimed that, if there is a single voters’ list, the Greek Cypriots who will be the majority will elect whomever they want as vice president. Eroglu said that he does not know how much the Greek Cypriots will insist on their proposals and added: “They have put such a proposal on the table. We will discuss it at the negotiating table… We will meet again on 23 June, we will see whether there is progress and we will discuss”.
Eroglu reiterated the allegation that the Turkish Cypriots want an “agreement that takes into consideration the existing realities” and added that they are not “out in the cold” as they have the “TRNC state” and the guarantees of Turkey behind them. He alleged that the Greek Cypriots should see these “realities” and bring their wishes to the table. He argued that the Turkish Cypriots have been struggling for years in order to be able to live under the roof of a state. “Thanks God, we have an independent state now”, he alleged arguing that the “big developments” that happened in the occupied area of Cyprus after the 1974 invasion cannot be ignored.
“We have 3-4 meetings between the leaders in front of us. In these we will see whether we can reach an agreement or not”, he said.
Meanwhile, Verda Ozer, of Turkish daily Hurriyet (04.06.14), reports that after his meeting with President Anastasiades on Monday, Eroglu met with a group of Turkish journalists who were visiting the island. Ozer writes that Eroglu entered into the room “sullen face” and said that tension existed in the meeting, with the leaders raising their voice from time to time. She says that the most critical issue was the territory, as the Greek Cypriots want the return of 100 thousand Greek Cypriot refugees back to their occupied homes. She goes on and reports, inter alia, the following:
“…According to Eroglu, these are dense populated places. Therefore, he says, Greek cantons will be formed in Turkish areas and this will create economic and social problems for the Turkish Cypriot people. Exactly for this reason, the issue of the territory should be discussed at the very end, according to Eroglu.The Greek Cypriots are in favor of its discussion at this stage. Eroglu interprets this as follows: ‘The ‘Greek Cypriots want the negotiations to enter into deadlock and the perception that ‘look the Turks do not want a solution’ to be created.
There is the issue of citizenship as well. The Greek Cypriots say ‘there should be only the citizenship of the established united state and this to be determined by the federal state’, because they are afraid that the TRNC will give the citizenship to all those coming from Turkey. Eroglu is annoyed on this issue as well.
The Greek Cypriot sector wants the EU to seat at the negotiating table. Eroglu is against this. Because he thinks that the EU will not be able to behave impartially…”
Ozer further reports that another “minefield” is the wish of the Greek Cypriot side for a permanent Greek Cypriot president and a permanent Turkish Cypriot vice president as well for a single voters’ list.
She writes that Eroglu argued that during the US Vice President Joe Biden’s visit the leaders agreed on four main chapters, but President Anastasiades changed his mind afterwards saying “how am I going to explain this to my people tomorrow?” “That is, reaching an agreement is possible. The whole issue is to convince the public opinion”, she claims.
Ozer writes that Eroglu told her that the breakaway regime’s relations with Israel deteriorated after the Mavi Marmara incident and that they “came closer” with Russia after US Vice President’s visit to the island.
