By Jean Christou
THE existence of the ‘TRNC’ must be recognised if a lasting settlement is to be reached in Cyprus, according to Turkish Minister of State Sukru Gurel.
Third parties interested in the Cyprus issue and the Greek Cypriot side should “accept these political facts”, Gurel told a news conference in occupied Nicosia.
He was speaking after a one-day visit to the north with Turkish Foreign Minister Ismail Cem.
Cem did not answer questions during the news conference, which was held jointly with Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash. However on his arrival Cem had said a federation could only be established between states.
“There is talk of a federation. You will recognise one of the sides as a community and the other side as a state, then you will ask this one state and one community to form a federation: there cannot be a worse approach. There is no other example like this in history. We have tried and are trying to explain this,” Turkish Cypriot press reports quoted Cem as saying.
Denktash told journalists he was prepared to make a new partnership agreement on equal terms based on bi-zonality.
He also said he hoped “the Greek Cypriot side will give up its claim of being the government of the whole of Cyprus and will agree to the commencement of talks between the two sides on equal terms”.
He reportedly appealed to the Greek Cypriot side not to misunderstand his goodwill, and said: “Come and let us settle this problem between us as two Cypriot peoples and states.”
No documents were signed at the meeting. “The Turkish Cypriot side will determine the steps it will take only after the EU adopts a decision on the issue of Greek Cypriot membership,” Denktash said. “The Greek Cypriots should know that they do not and will not have any rights over our government.”
Kibris said Denktash would put forward the recognition issue as a precondition to resuming negotiations on the Cyprus problem, and that the Turkish Cypriot leader would be announcing his demand during the current visit of US presidential emissary Richard Holbrooke.
It said this decision was taken during his meeting with Cem and Gurel.
Opposition party leaders Mehmet Ali Talat and Mustafa Akinci, who were not invited to the meeting, criticised the decision.
“To raise the recognition issue as a precondition for resumption of talks will be tantamount to leaving the negotiating table as the party accused of being intransigent,” Akinci said.
Talat said: “International public opinion will not allow this,” and added the Turkish Cypriots should be flexible and leave room to manoeuvre.
