Turkish Cypriot ‘parliament’ condemns resolution

THE TURKISH Cypriot ‘parliament’ yesterday unanimously adopted a resolution strongly condemning the Greek Cypriot parliament’s rejection of guarantor rights last Thursday.

According to the Bayrak website, Turkish Cypriot ‘deputies’ condemned parliament’s rejection last week of guarantors or guarantees for a united Republic of Cyprus which would be an EU member state.

Yesterday’s Turkish Cypriot counter-resolution accused the Greek Cypriot side of attempting to “render the Cyprus negotiations meaningless and remove the basis of the talks”. It also argued Turkey’s guarantor right “has been providing peace and security to the island…and should be the basic element of a comprehensive solution” to the Cyprus problem.

Earlier in the day, ‘parliamentary speaker’ Hasan Bozer said the Turkish Cypriots would announce to the world that they will never give up the Treaties of Guarantee and Alliance, while describing guarantor rights as “indispensable red lines”.

Turkish Cypriot ‘foreign minister’ Huseyin Ozgurgun went so far as to say to NTV news channel that “if Turkish troops withdraw from Cyprus now, fighting will break out and many people will die”.

Government spokesman Stefanos Stefanou yesterday reiterated that the position of the Greek Cypriot side on the issue of guarantees for a united Cyprus was crystal clear, namely there is no place for either guarantees or guarantors.

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