The TRNC has opposed a proposal by the Greek Cypriots to replace the guarantor system with the deployment of around 2,500 police officers from the European Union to provide security in Cyprus, in the event of reunification.
President Mustafa Akinci, who is the main Turkish Cypriot negotiator in the relaunched Cyprus talks together with his Greek Cypriot counterpart Nicos Anastasiades, rejected the proposal coming from the Greek Cypriot side to make use of 2,500 EU police officers on the island, instead of the current guarantorship system.
Britain, together with Turkey and Greece, is one of the guarantor states of Cyprus under a 1960 treaty.
Long-stalled negotiations to find a way to settle the conflict resumed last year following Akıncı’s election in April. The talks restarted last May are focused on establishing a federal model.
According to the proposal reported by Greek Cypriot media, the guarantorship system was proposed to be lifted totally and EU police forces, which will not consist of either Turkish, Greek or British police officers, will be deployed on the island for a period of five years and their tenure can be extended on the request of either the Turkish or Greek Cypriots.
Within the scope of the Greek Cypriot proposal, first a friendship and cooperation deal will be signed between Turkey, Greece and the to-be-formed new federal Cyprus state. On the first day of the deal, 75 percent of the Turkish troops on the island will leave the island, and the remaining 25 percent will stay on the island for an unspecified time, until which they will operate from just one barracks.
When Turkish troops withdraw from the island and a peace deal enters into force, a police force of 2,500 officers from the EU will be deployed to the border between the two founding states of Turkish Cyprus and Greek Cyprus.
The EU police force will be under the auspices of the United Nations and their tenure of five years can be extended upon the demand of the founding states. The police force will cooperate with the federal Cypriot state and will act according to U.N. and EU rules.
Turkey, Greece and UK police officers will not be part of the police force, and will only play a counselling and mediator role in case of any conflict.
Hurriyet
