Cyprus update: The two Cyprus leaders disagree over approach to Security and guarantees

Cyprus President Nicos Anastiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci have express different approach to settle security issues and guarantees.

Anastasiades wants the two leaders to reach an agreement before conveying it to Turkey, while his counterpart Akinci wants it discussed and decided at a broad conference with the guarantor powers that would finalize any deal.

“Anastasiades’ stance is the chapter of security and guarantees will first need to be discussed between the two communities, agreed and then be presented during a multilateral conference,” which would include guarantor powers – Greece, Turkey and the UK– said a government spokesman Nicos Christodoulides.

But Akinci believes that there could be more progress on the four topics being discussed – governance, property, the EU and economy – and by July a new round of negotiations could begin on territory – which would have the guarantor powers at the table 

His proposal is “begin with territory. Then to a five party discussion with the participation of the guarantor powers on the matters of guarantees and security and preferably, we’ll be done with that and begin the procedure for a referendum.”

Akinci was quoted as saying “if we have a common approach on territory and security-guarantees, we can have a referendum this year.”
While he said there was significant progress on four of the six chapters he said property and guarantors would be discussed in the end.
“If we discuss these two chapters with today’s procedure then everything we discuss will be published in the Greek Cypriot press the next day because there are quick and unnecessary leaks to the Greek Cypriot press, sometimes in excess.”
The two leaders are expected to meet again in a meeting scheduled for May 27.
Source: Cyprus mail