Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhürman said the ground is beginning to emerge for Cyprus talks to be renegotiated, while insisting that a 5+1 meeting cannot take place without Turkey.
Speaking during a television programme in the occupied areas, Erhürman described UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ recent visit to Cyprus as successful.
He said it would be wrong to suggest that Guterres came to Cyprus either “for a holiday and farewell” or specifically to deliver a solution.
According to Erhürman, the UN Secretary-General arrived with a substantial team, devoted time to the issue and called for a 5+1 meeting based on confidence-building measures (CBMs), methodology and substance.
“I am not negotiating just to negotiate; I want result-oriented negotiations,” Erhürman said, adding that this was also Guterres’ objective.
Weekly meetings proposed
Referring to his meeting with President Nikos Christodoulides on August 26, Erhürman said that following Guterres’ visit, he had proposed that the two sides meet at least once a week “since tasks have been assigned”.
He said no specific agenda had yet been set.
Regarding confidence-building measures, Erhürman said discussions had focused on crossing points and demining.
He accused President Christodoulides of putting forward different crossing points from those agreed in New York, preventing an agreement from being reached.
On demining, he claimed that Christodoulides had postponed the issue until after a settlement, citing the presence of tanks.
Dispute over property arrests
Referring to Christodoulides’ comments on arrests linked to the usurpation of Greek Cypriot property, Erhürman said the statement that people “will be arrested if necessary” showed that the arrests were political.
He also claimed that Christodoulides had “admitted that the law is being used as a political tool”.
Erhürman insists on Turkey’s role
Asked about the model for a Cyprus settlement, Erhürman said the focus should not be on the name of the model but on its content, the transitional period and steps that would make life easier for both communities.
He also referred to the 2004 referendum, saying that those who voted “no” in the south of Cyprus to a federal settlement were “federalists” both then and today.
Erhürman stressed that there was “no alternative” to moving in coordination with Turkey.
“There cannot be a 5+1 meeting without Turkey,” he said, adding that no settlement agreement in which Turkey does not say “yes” could be implemented, a position he said also applied to the other guarantor powers.
He further argued that, for the first time, international developments were creating a perception that a settlement of the Cyprus problem was necessary for regional stability.
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