Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has warned the international community that the status of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC) as an independent state will have to be acknowledged if the ongoing talks to reunite the island fail, signaling that his government might revise its pro-reunification stance in effect since it first came to power in 2002.
“It must be understood that negotiations cannot last forever, the present window of opportunity cannot stay open forever and there is an absolute need to make the process successful,” Erdoğan said on Thursday at the UN’s 64th General Assembly.
By “process,” Erdoğan was referring to a revived peace process between the island’s Greek and Turkish Cypriots, who have lived divided since 1974, when Turkey militarily intervened in the north of the island in response to a Greek-inspired coup.
Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat and Greek Cypriot leader Dimitris Christofias broke a four-year stalemate on talks in March 2008 and have been engaged in face-to-face negotiations with the goal of reunifying the island. Previous reunification efforts on Cyprus collapsed in 2004, when Greek Cypriots rejected a settlement blueprint drafted by former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and accepted by Turkish Cypriots.
‘If a solution cannot be reached because of the Greekside's rejection then normalizing the status of the TurkishRepublic of Northern Cyprus in the global arena will be amust that can no longer be delayed’
Erdoğan said a comprehensive settlement can be achieved if the parties are constructive. “If not, the UN secretary-general should step in as in 2004. We are aiming for a referendum in the spring of 2010 at the latest. But if a solution cannot be reached because of the Greek side’s rejection, as in 2004, then normalizing the status of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in the international arena will be a must that can no longer be delayed,” Erdoğan added.
According to sources at the Turkish Foreign Ministry, Prime Minister Erdoğan reminded the world community at the UN that Turkey has a Plan B. “Turkey will be engaged in efforts to provide recognition for the KKTC if the Greek side rejects a proposed solution,” the source said.
The Turkish side often reiterates that there is a serious inequality in negotiations because Turkish Cypriots are isolated in every sphere and are unable to even play an international soccer match while Greek Cypriots comfortably enjoy international recognition and EU membership. In addition, Turkey’s entry into the European Union partly hinges on a peace deal in Cyprus, whose Greek Cypriot population represents the island in the EU.
“Turkish Cypriots are still faced with unjust isolation. It is not right to expect the Turkish Cypriot party to pay the cost of deadlock,” Erdoğan also said. “What the prime minister has voiced at the UN is not new, but his words make the case stronger that Turkey will make an effort for the KKTC’s recognition if all other efforts fail to reunify the island,” said Özdem Sanberk, a former foreign ministry undersecretary and a foreign policy analyst.
“The prime minister’s words should not be perceived as a threat. We are saying that we are ready for a solution similar to the Annan plan, but if it is rejected by the Greek side, there is no escape from a de facto KKTC state,” Sanberk told Today’s Zaman. “The Greek side should understand this message in the right way.”
| But he added that the problem is that the status quo is not bothersome for the Greek side because they are already in the EU.
“If Turkey starts diplomatic efforts for the recognition of the KKTC, the Greek side will then start to act, and a war of attrition is likely. So the prime minister’s words reveal a hidden threat,” Sanberk said. Observers agree that the window of opportunity is small for a solution in Cyprus and that it could start to close in late 2009 as preparations begin for Turkish Cypriot parliamentary and presidential elections in February and April 2010, respectively. Former diplomat Temel İskit evaluated the situation as “the last chance.” “Conditions are ripe, but on both sides there are people who do not want a solution,” he told Today’s Zaman. “If the result of a referendum shows that the Greek side is rejecting a solution, then the Greek side will be seen as responsible for non-settlement,” he said. “And so the prime minister is warning about what could happen in such a situation.” Meanwhile, the KKTC’s Talat told reporters on Thursday in New York that the international community has an important role in finding a solution to the Cyprus problem. He added that the KKTC is working in close cooperation with Turkey for a solution in Cyprus and that Prime Minister Erdoğan’s words were “beneficial and meaningful.” Asked when he would meet with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Talat said a specific date was not yet set but that they would meet in the coming days. He said he had meetings with British Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs David Miliband and Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt. Talat also said he wanted to meet with Christofias in New York but did not want to have an official meeting with him. Talat is expected to meet with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu as well as officials from Turkey’s permanent representation at the UN. ‘Turkish-Armenian relations at new level’Addressing the UN General Assembly, Erdoğan said Turkey is an element of peace and stability in its region. “Problems in our region have global consequences. Therefore, our constructive and conciliatory policy in the region contributes to global peace as well,” he said and added that the ongoing dialogue process between Turkey and Greece was a concrete example of such an approach and that efforts aiming at the normalization of Turkish-Armenian relations were yielding fruitful results. Erdoğan, speaking at Princeton University on Thursday, said Turkish-Armenian relations have reached a new level through Swiss mediation. “I believe agreements we have initialed could be submitted to Parliament if political biases and concerns do not get in the way,” he said, adding that the government can possibly bring the issue to Parliament by Oct. 10 or 11. Meanwhile, the Armenian and Turkish presidents will be meeting in Switzerland on Oct. 10 to sign the two diplomatic protocols, which are then to be submitted to the Turkish and Armenian parliaments, as sources revealed the current Turkish-Armenian diplomatic plan. ‘World should fulfill its promises to the Gazans’In his address to the UN General Assembly, Erdoğan said Turkey expects countries of the region to share the same vision for peace, security and stability. Stressing the importance of Iraq’s territorial integrity, political unity and domestic peace, he said that Turkey attached great importance to the establishment of a national consensus in the country as well as the continuation of a political dialogue focusing on all segments of Iraqi society. Commenting on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Erdoğan said Turkey has always supported the Palestinians. He also brought up the humanitarian tragedy in Gaza last winter, in which close to 1,400 Palestinians, including 252 children, were killed in Israel’s attacks. He called on the international community to fulfill its promises to the Gazans. |
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| YONCA POYRAZ DOĞAN İSTANBUL
Source: www.todayszaman.com, Sep 26, 2009 |
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