ATTORNEY-general Alecos Markides yesterday expressed disappointment at the current course of Cyprus settlement talks, saying that unless the Turkish side radically changed its position there would be no progress.
In an interview with the Cyprus News Agency (CNA) on the eve of the resumption of the talks, Markides – who is on the Greek Cypriot delegation – said it would become clear by the end of next month whether there was any progress.
“There is a general disappointment because there has not been any substantive move in Turkish policy towards the right direction and the parameters defined by UN Security Council resolutions,” Markides said.
He said that as long as the Turkish side aimed at the creation of “two states” or insisted on the existence of “two states”, there could be no settlement.
“The solution of the problem lies in their hands in the sense that if they ask in good faith for a solution in the framework of a bizonal, bicommunal federation, as agreed, then a solution can be found,” Markides said.
A June deadline has tentatively been set as a benchmark date for agreement towards a comprehensive settlement. Unless progress is apparent by March, this will not be possible, according to Markides.
“Progress should start emerging in March if our goal is to find a comprehensive settlement by June,” he said.
Markides said attempts should be made in the weeks ahead to establish whether assertions by Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash that he was ready to reconsider certain issues actually had any validity.
He returns to the negotiating table today for the second round of face-to-face talks with President Glafcos Clerides. The talks began on January 16.
Commenting on Turkish press reports that the ball was now in President Clerides’ court, Markides said: “I do not feel that there is anything at the moment that our side should be doing, or that our side owes a reply to anyone.”
Markides also said that Cyprus’ EU accession course dictated and defined certain principles to which any agreed solution should comply, including the principle of having one state in Cyprus, which would be in a position effectively to meet its obligations to the Union.
“The contents of the solution must not violate basic provisions of the acquis communautaire, including the fundamental freedoms,” he said.
He also dismissed Turkish allegations that Cyprus was “sitting on its laurels” because the EU had promised membership and that the Greek Cypriot side was lagging behind in its effort to find a settlement.
“We are making every genuine effort to reunite Cyprus and see it join the EU,” Markides said. “If this position is faced with obstacles created by Turkish policy because of its insistence on two states, then I do not believe we can be accused of dragging our feet.”
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.
