Akinci talks of possible guarantors meeting in New York in September

By Jean Christou

Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci was on Monday quoted as saying that a multi-lateral meeting between the two Cypriot sides, and guarantors Greece, Turkey and Britain could take place in New York as early as September.

Turkish Cypriot press reported that after a meeting with the rector of the Cyprus International University, Dr Halil Nadiri, Akinci referred to an interview that Turkish Cypriot negotiator Ozdil Nami gave to daily Politis regarding the guarantor countries. Responding to a question, Akinci said that neither side wanted to waste any time and the aim was to take the negotiations forward and if possible have a multi-party meeting in New York in September.

This was the unspoken aim of all sides involved including the UN, Akinci said, adding that it was not possible however to say whether there was enough progress now to constitute such a meeting.

Akinci and President Nicos Anastasiades met last week for their third meeting and instructed their negotiators on the next steps in discussing the core issues, governance, property, security and territory.
Anastasiades has said the issue of guarantors was not on the agenda at present. The leaders are due to meet again next Monday.

UN Special Adviser Espen Barth Eide said last week that he had discussed the guarantees issue during his visit to Athens on June 22 but said it was not on the table in Cyprus at the moment “but we are all aware that it will get there eventually and nothing is very far away because the plan is to cover all essential issues within reasonable time so that we know as we go into the Autumn how we stand on them,” he said.

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.