Post by tileiohmaleas on Jun 20, 2008 19:22:58 GMT -5
Stop meddling
BRUSSELS
Cypriot President Demetris Christofias said that meddling by Turkey is harming efforts to end the 34-year division of Cyprus between Greek and Turkish Cypriots.
Christofias said Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat should be allowed to negotiate independently without having to check with Ankara for final approval.
"The continuation of the status quo is harming ... all Cypriots," Christofias said. "So I request Mehmet Talat to sit together without any commitments from the outside, from foreign countries and forces."
As a gesture of goodwill, Turkey should remove half its 43,000 troops from northern Cyprus, Christofias said.
"We could really as soon as possible solve the problem, but ... unfortunately we are dependent on the will of Turkey. Turkey is key. A country which has in Cyprus 43,000 well armed soldiers has to take some decisions," Christofias said.
Christofias said Turkey should drop its demand to remain a "guarantor" of the security of Turkish Cypriots, saying that once a reunification deal is reached the European Union would guarantee the rights of ethnic Turks on the island.
Christofias said he planned to meet with Talat this month and next to prepare for full-scale reunification negotiations.
He said main sticking points remain property rights, security arrangements for both communities and how to share power under a federal state.
Speaking at the ''breakfast policy briefing'' of the European Policy Centre in Brussels, President Christofias outlined his vision for the future of Cyprus, which translates into the reunification of the island under a federal roof on the basis of European principles and international law.
Christofias stressed that the solution must be found by the Cypriots for the Cypriots and said once Cyprus is reunited, it can become a paradise and an important spring-board for the European Union, which it joined in May 2004.
BRUSSELS
Cypriot President Demetris Christofias said that meddling by Turkey is harming efforts to end the 34-year division of Cyprus between Greek and Turkish Cypriots.
Christofias said Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat should be allowed to negotiate independently without having to check with Ankara for final approval.
"The continuation of the status quo is harming ... all Cypriots," Christofias said. "So I request Mehmet Talat to sit together without any commitments from the outside, from foreign countries and forces."
As a gesture of goodwill, Turkey should remove half its 43,000 troops from northern Cyprus, Christofias said.
"We could really as soon as possible solve the problem, but ... unfortunately we are dependent on the will of Turkey. Turkey is key. A country which has in Cyprus 43,000 well armed soldiers has to take some decisions," Christofias said.
Christofias said Turkey should drop its demand to remain a "guarantor" of the security of Turkish Cypriots, saying that once a reunification deal is reached the European Union would guarantee the rights of ethnic Turks on the island.
Christofias said he planned to meet with Talat this month and next to prepare for full-scale reunification negotiations.
He said main sticking points remain property rights, security arrangements for both communities and how to share power under a federal state.
Speaking at the ''breakfast policy briefing'' of the European Policy Centre in Brussels, President Christofias outlined his vision for the future of Cyprus, which translates into the reunification of the island under a federal roof on the basis of European principles and international law.
Christofias stressed that the solution must be found by the Cypriots for the Cypriots and said once Cyprus is reunited, it can become a paradise and an important spring-board for the European Union, which it joined in May 2004.