A NEW approach must be taken to break the Cyprus problem deadlock and normalise relations between the two parts of the island, Turkish Cypriot Peace and Democracy Movement (BDH) leader Mustafa Akinci told the Cyprus Mail yesterday.
Opposition deputy Akinci earlier this week put forward a ten-point proposal that envisages Turkish troop withdrawals, the handing over of Varosha to its original owners and the reinstatement of Turkish Cypriot deputies in the Cypriot parliament.
Such a move, he says, will prevent Turkish Cypriots being left out in the cold as Turkey and Cyprus normalise relations in line with demands being made on Turkey by the EU. It will also help to reassure Greek Cypriots that the Turkish Cypriot side and Turkey will not renege on implementing all elements of an eventual solution package.
Fundamentally for the Turkish Cypriot it will mean that as Turkey pursues its EU aspirations it will not be forced to leave Turkish Cypriots to live in a purely Greek Cypriot-dominated Republic.
“Whatever [Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip] Erdogan says about not opening ports and airports to Greek Cypriot traffic, he will one day have to do it,” Akinci said yesterday, adding that by doing so, Turkey will, by default, have expressed recognition of the Cyprus Republic.
Akinci maintains that unless the Turkish Cypriots actively seek to reclaim their communal rights in the Republic, they will be left as bystanders while bridges between Cyprus and Turkey are mended.
“So far Turkish Cypriots have managed to obtain their individual rights through EU membership; some have sought their legal rights over properties. But they have not sought to gain their communal rights,” Akinci said.
“And while Turkey is very firm on keeping it guarantor rights, as are Greece and Britain, it is only the collective rights of the Turkish Cypriots that have not been demanded”.
Akinci says he is not proposing a comprehensive solution to the Cyprus problem, which, he insists, can only come from UN-sponsored negotiations.
“What I am suggesting is a transitional period during which Cypriots start to make their own federal constitution”.
Akinci’s proposal at first glance appears to advocate a return to the 1960 setup, which saw joint running of the country by the two dominant communities. However there are some differences.
As in the Annan plan, Akinci’s proposal includes bizonality, meaning Greek and Turkish Cypriots will predominantly reside in their own sectors. It also advocates the establishment of a Turkish Cypriot State as foreseen by the Annan plan – something that would require the dissolution of the current ‘Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus’ (TRNC).
But there are elements in the proposal that have never been put forward formally. One is that all ports and airports on the island jointly run by Turkish and Greek Cypriots. Another is the formation of a joint committee to devise a new constitution for the island.
“This does not provide a comprehensive solution,” Akinci said. “The idea is to start a process, not create the final product. We want to break the ice”.
Asked whether a rejection by the Greek Cypriots of Turkish Cypriots participating in the running of the Republic would strengthen the hand of those seeking permanent partition Akinci said, “The intention is not to push anyone into a corner, but if they [the Cypriot government] are going to treat Turkish Cypriots as a minority and deny them their rights, they will make problems for themselves.
“If they have given up on a bizonal, bicommunal federal state, then we have nothing to do together. If that’s the case, let them expose themselves”.
