A counter proposal, with the support of the USA, has been reportedly been developed in response to the Greek Cypriot’s condition that the Turkish army must withdraw and third country guarantees must be abolished in the event of a solution to the Cyprus problem.
According to Turkish Cypriot daily ‘Diyalog’, “it is known that after a possible solution Turkey will become guarantor of the Turkish Cypriots only and not of the entire island” and that “the Greek Cypriot side and Greece do not welcome this idea.” The report says that: “However, it is said that in case Turkey’s right of unilateral intervention is abolished, an agreement cannot be reached.”
President Mustafa Akinci, who briefed the MP on Thursday yesterday at a closed-door session, said that the existing system of guarantees belongs to the past and referred to suggestions such as Turkey’s guarantees covering only the northern part of the island and for Turkish intervention to take place in the event that Turkish Cypriots ask for it.
According to information obtained by ‘Diyalog’, during meetings with Turkish officials, US Vice President Joe Biden and the US Ambassador to Nicosia expressed the view that maintaining foreign troops on the island is an obstacle to the reunification of Cyprus.
During the closed-door session of the assembly, along with Turkey’s guarantees, the activities of the ELAM terrorist organization, which constitutes a threat to the Turkish Cypriots were discussed. Akinci reportedly said that it could be requested that parties such as ELAM could be banned and that similar examples exist in the EU.
The paper writes that another issue on which the leaders have agreed is the formation of the House of Representatives and the Senate. The House of Representatives will have 36 Greek and 12 Turkish members and the Senate 20 Turkish and 20 Greek members. The laws, suggested by Greek Cypriots, will need at least five Turkish votes in the Senate and six in the House of Representatives. The laws suggested by Turkish Cypriots will need 18 Greek Cypriot votes in the House of Representatives and five in the Senate. The number of employees in the federal government has not been clarified yet, but 67% of the civil servants will reportedly be Greek Cypriots and 33% Turkish Cypriots. It is said that this is better than the 1960 agreements and that more Turkish Cypriots will be employed.
It is also said that the MPs asked Akinci questions about the rotating presidency and property as well. The issue of the citizenships also came onto the agenda. Some deputies reacted to the adjustment to the population proportion, which is said to be 220 thousand Turkish Cypriots and 803 thousand Greek Cypriots.
Akinci reportedly expressed the view that the Turkish Cypriots who live abroad could not be prevented from becoming citizens of the federal state and warned the government that it should not grant new citizenships at this stage.
Diyalog
