Under the title: “Did they finish, will they continue?”, Turkish daily Milliyet (30.03.12 online version) publishes a commentary by Sami Kohen who reports to an exclusive interview given to him by the Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu about the latest stage of the ongoing negotiation talks.
Writing in his commentary, Kohen underlines the critical stage of the ongoing negotiation talks in Cyprus and supports that the decision of the UN’s Secretary General, after Downer’s briefing will determine not only whether the talks “had been completed, or are to be continued” but also it will determine the fate of the Cyprus problem.
Wondering about what the stance of the Turkish Cypriot side during this critical stage, how the Turkish side evaluates the situation, what it expects from the UN’s Secretary General and how it looks to the future, Kohen publishes the following interview by Eroglu:
“THE NEGOTIATIONS CAN NOT CONTINUE IN THIS WAY
After yesterday’s “last meeting”, Eroglu has announced that it has demanded from the UN Secretary General for the changing of the method and the direction of the process and also it has conveyed officially a proposal for a “quintet summit” to take place between the three guarantor states including Turkey. The TRNC leader stated that during the four years of the ongoing negotiations talks the “matters they had agreed are much more than the matters they agreed” and he characterized the proposal for the “quintet summit” as the “last chance”. Eroglu who has changed the expression being used before that, the “Solution is the non-solution”, says now that “the better solution is not the non-solution” and also states that they will work until the end for reaching to a solution.
S.K: According to you what will follow after the last meeting? Is there any possibility for the process to continue as it is? Or is it actually the end?
We are waiting for the UN Secretary-General to decide towards this issue. From this point of view April will be a critical period… Of course, there are several possibilities. However, Ban Ki-moon knows that the negotiations cannot continue in the same way. A calling for the talks to continue in this way will be useless.
S.K: Sometime, there was a declaration by the Turkish Government as well as you that it is necessary for a result to come up from the negotiations until July 1st, otherwise you cannot wait until the end. If the negotiation talks continue, is it possible for an agreement to be reached until that date?
No it is impossible. No result is possible to come up from the negotiations, if they continue in this way.
S.K: If there is a suspension?
A suspension (of the talks) will be useless. Greek Cypriots have a period of 5-6 months to make up this job. Besides, in the forthcoming February there will be presidential elections in the Greek Cypriot side.
S.K: If something like this will happen, will the Turkish side opposed?
In that case, our terms for sitting again to the table will change… I am sure that the UN Secretary-General will understand that no agreement is possible to be found (with the current way of the talks).
GREEK CYPRIOTS PLAY FOR TIME
S.K: OK, what are your options? Some time a “quintet summit” was mentioned. (Turkey, Greece, the UK, the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leaders…)
Yes we want an extended meeting to take place with the participation of the three guarantor states. I have made an official proposal for this. I have conveyed this to the Secretary-General…
S.K: If a quintet summit is to take place, what will change? Will the chances for the solution increased?
Such a meeting, since it will take place under the supervision of the guarantor states, and with their contribution, the situation will be different. Our efforts for reconciliation will be better understood. Also, it will be considered as the last chance.
S.K: How Ban Ki-moon and the UN circles confront this proposal?
I do not know their official stance at the moment. We will see.
S.K: But still, the Greek Cypriot side does not want this, right?
No, it doesn’t. Greek Cypriots play for time. The status-quo is in favour of them. Their priority at the moment is to sit at the EU term presidency.
S.K: As Turkish Cypriot side, are you hopeful and do you have the will for a solution that will aim to reunify the island?
Our people are willing for a solution. It has always indicated this. However, recently our hopes have been reduced. But still, I will exert efforts for the solution until the end.
S.K: Some time ago you said that “the better solution is the non-solution”. What is you are saying now?
Yes, I said this. During that period, the conditions were as such. We are at the moment exerting efforts for a solution. And the non-solution is not the better solution. However, unfortunately because of the stance of the Greek Cypriot side, the non-solution continues. We are using our last chance for a solution.
S.K: If there is no agreement, are you thinking to leave (table)?
If we do not agree, we shall leave.
S.K: If the negotiations are to be interrupted what are you going to do for the continuation of the existence of the TRNC as a separate state?
In that case we won’t have the blame. We will evaluate our alternatives.
S.K: Let’s return back to the negotiation talks which begun during 2008 when Mehmet Ali Talat was at the presidency. Afterwards, you took over the duty in 2010. This means that the negotiations are in a process for four years. It hasn’t achieved any progress at all?
The negotiations are pro-longed. We are all fed up with this. Of course we achieved to agree in some points during this period. There are convergences and agreements on several chapters we had discussed such as the chapter of economy, the EU and partnership and the chapter of power distribution. We have agreed also towards some principles and parameters related for example to the property issue, but still it was not possible to reach to an agreement on the details. We are also working on the chapters like the territory and the quarantorship…In brief, the issues we have not achieved convergences are much more that those we had agreed.
S.K: In brief, you say that it will be useless for the talks to continue in the same way. All right, how it may be otherwise?
We will wait for the UN Secretary- General; let’s see what he will say, what he will decide”.
Sami Kohen concludes his commentary writing that no hopes were left to the sides for a solution to be found during the prolonged four-year Cyprus negotiations talks. He then underlines that the Turkish Cypriots are clearly stating that they do not want to be the side that will withdraw from the talks, while on the other hand, as Kohen supports, the Greek Cypriot side is looking for formulas in order for the negotiation process not to be interrupted and in order not to lose its prestige… Kohen supports then that if others will come like for example, the USA and EU countries, it will not be very right for Cyprus.
According to Kohen, the Cyprus negotiation talks are reaching the end, but still, nobody has the luxury to withdraw from the table…
