President Mustafa Akinci has said that he wants all TRNC political party leaders with him in New York, if there is sufficient progress in the Cyprus talks. The party leaders have responded positively to this proposal.
The aim is to achieve sufficient progress in the seven presidential meetings in the negotiations to hold a five-party conference with the UNSG in New York in mid-September.
According to Kibris Gazetesi, President Akinci held a meeting with the four political party leaders at his office to evaluate developments in the negotiations, which began yesterday. The president also briefed them about his visit to Ankara and noted that a contribution is needed from all parties at such a crucial phase of the Cyprus negotiations.
Following the meeting, Prime Minister Huseyin Ozgurgun, leader of the UBP said that the meeting had been “useful” and that the government is satisfied. He noted that they had made an assessment of the road map and that there would be efforts made to cooperate with the other parties and the president.
Deputy Prime Minister and leader of the minor coalition DP Serdar Denktaş, said that his party continued to be concerned, but that they would support President Akinci until a text for the referendum had been drawn up. Such a text has not yet been written, he noted. “It seems that on some issues there are gains and this totally depends on whether they will become primary law”, he said.
Mehmet Ali Talat, chairman of the Republican Turkish Party (CTP), said that there is nothing “extraordinary”, but “hopes still exist”. He noted that in the end of the process they will see what happens. Akinci wants the negotiations completed by the end of 2016, the convention of a multilateral conference with the participation of the guarantor powers and holding a referendum in 2017, because “we all know that the elections in the Greek Cypriot side will somehow cement this period after 2016”. He added that “We share the same view and we support him”.
Cemal Ozyigit, chairman of the Social Democracy Party (TDP), said that during the next seven meetings, all six chapters of the Cyprus negotiations will be discussed. Afterwards efforts will be made to meet with the UNSG and his team in New York and it is expected to be clarified if there will be a solution in 2016, he added.
“There are intensive preparations for this. This is what we observed”, he pointed out. Referring to information in the press on the issue of guarantees, Ozyigit argued that there is no need to shout about these issues, which are reserved for the end of the negotiations. “That is to say, they will be discussed in the five-party conference which will take place at the presence of the UNSG after these seven meetings”, he said and added that Akinci is conducting the negotiations within the framework of the Joint Declaration of 11 February 2014.
Kibris Gazetesi
