Akel and Turkish Cypriot party agree yet disagree

By Martin Hellicar

AKEL AND the Republican Turkish Party profess common goals in the search for a Cyprus settlement, but cannot agree on the specifics of how to arrive there.

The two left-wing parties are similarly united and yet divided on the issue of Cyprus’s EU accession course.

A representation from the Turkish Cypriot party, headed by party leader Mehmet Ali Talat, met with Akel members at the Cypriot party’s Nicosia offices yesterday morning to discuss the Cyprus problem and EU accession.

In statements made afterwards, Talat said both parties agreed that Cyprus should join the EU, and that a federal solution based on UN resolutions was what was best for the island. But agreement on specifics was not achieved.

Talat said he came to no agreement with Akel on a formula for Turkish Cypriot participation in EU accession talks. He described the Cyprus government’s proposal for Turkish Cypriot participation as “non-serious”. He said it would be “unjust” for Turkish Cypriots to be involved only as observers and not as negotiators, as the government has suggested.

The last round of UN-led Cyprus settlement talks collapsed when Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash said Cyprus’ entry talks had to be frozen before he would return to the negotiating table. Turkey has threatened parallel integration with the occupied areas if Cyprus is admitted to the EU.

But Talat went against the flow by saying Turkey’s own aspirations for EU entry would be aided by Cyprus joining. He said his party believed Turkey would join the EU after Cyprus, but added that Cyprus should not join before a settlement.

He also said the blame for the collapse of the settlement talks had to be shared equally by the Greek and Turkish Cypriot sides, as neither had shifted from its established position.

Akel and the Republican Turkish Party agreed more rapprochement between the two sides was necessary. They also arrived at the mutual conclusion that no progress had been made towards a solution and that the prospect of a permanent division on the island loomed larger then ever.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.