President Nikos Christodoulides expressed his readiness for an agreement on new crossing points during the plenary session of the informal meeting on the Cyprus issue in New York, held under the UN auspices, but without result due to rejection by the Turkish Cypriot leader of his proposals, CNA has learnt.
According to information CNA has obtained, during the discussion in the plenary session on the issue of new crossing points, President Christodoulides expressed his readiness for an agreement on this issue.
As mentioned, during the Plenary, President Christodoulides proposed the opening of a crossing point between Athienou and Aglantzia in exchange for the opening of a crossing point in Mia Milia and Louroudjina, he proposed opening a crossing point through the Kokkina enclave in exchange for Mia Milia, and opening a crossing point for pedestrians only on Lidinis street in Nicosia, which was also a proposal of the two mayors of the capital, it was noted.
The same sources said that the opening of a crossing point between Athienou-Pyroi-Aglantzia was discussed, but ultimately no agreement was reached due to the insistence of the Turkish side that the road, spanning 11.4 kilometers, be entirely through the occupied territories, with the Greek Cypriot side noting that the road already exist. The UN Secretary General proposed that half of the route runs through the occupied areas and half through the buffer zone, with the Greek Cypriot side agreeing but the Turkish side insisting that the road should run through the occupied areas, something that President Christodoulides did not accept.
As regards the proposal to open a crossing point through the Kokkina enclave in exchange for a crossing point in Mia Milia, the Turkish side refused, according to the same sources, claiming that it was a military zone.
President Christodoulides then proposed the opening of a crossing point for pedestrians only on Lidinis street, with the Turkish Cypriot leader refusing, the sources said.
According to information, during his intervention, Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar reiterated his positions on sovereign equality and two states and proposed some confidence-building measures that were along the lines of “state cooperation”.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan’s intervention, the same sources said, were along the lines of the public rhetoric of the Turkish side, referring to the so-called isolation of the Turkish Cypriots, and to cooperation between the two sides.
The same sources noted the intervention of the UK’s Secretary of State for Europe, Stephen Doughty, and that he referred to London’s support for a Bizonal Bicommunal Federation as the solution to the Cyprus problem, within the framework of the Security Council, and to the importance of the EU’s contribution to the effort to resolve the Cyprus problem, among other things.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results due to Turkish intransigence. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.
The informal meeting on Cyprus in broader format, in New York, was held following a similar meeting in Geneva, on March 17-18. There the two sides agreed to proceed with a number of initiatives, involving the opening of crossing points, the creation of a Technical Committee on Youth and other initiatives in the buffer zone and throughout the island.
Also read: Key takeaways from the informal UN-led Cyprus dinner in NY
Source: CNA
