Prime Minister Huseyin Ozgurgun says that he sees no hope of a settlement before the end of the year due to the unacceptable demands of the Greek Cypriot side.
Speaking in an interview to A Haber, the TRNC Prime Minister said that the Greek Cypriots neither accept Turkey nor its guarantees nor do they support the political equality of Turkish Cypriots.
Ozgurgun pointed out that the Turkish Cypriot side was not desperate for a solution where it would be forced to give in to all of the Greek Cypriot side’s demands.
He said that Greek Cypriots needed a settlement just as much as the Turkish Cypriots did.
“The Greek Cypriot side’s rights on the island are not more than those of Turkish Cypriots. This is the basis and understanding on which the negotiations must be carried on” he added.
Stating that he did not perceive a settlement to be possible before the end of this year, the TRNC Prime Minister said “they want Guzelyurt, and Maras and cantons in the Karpaz peninsula. They want the return of all 160,000 Greek Cypriot refugees to their former homes; they want the withdrawal of the Turkish Armed Forces. In other words they have not given up any of their unacceptable demands”.
Ozgurgun also stressed that it was out of the question to accept a settlement that did not include Turkey’s guarantees and right to unilateral intervention.
Criticising earlier remarks by the UN Special Adviser Espen Barth Eide that the system of guarantees was outdated, the Prime Minister said that the need for more security and guarantees was evident when looking at other areas in the world.
“Conflicts and wars are raging on in all parts of the world which shows us that the problem of security or the lack of it is greater than ever. So as the Turkish Cypriot side we do not see an agreement emerging in an environment where security and guarantees are not safeguarded”, he said.
Commenting on the recent trilateral meeting held in New York, Ozgurgun said that the outcome of the meeting had come as no surprise as this was the typical stance adopted by Greek Cypriots since inter-communal talks first started in 1968.
BRT
