Cyprus Update: ''New York best opportunity for five-party conference''-Akinci

Cyprus: Turkish Cypriot leader, Mustafa Akinci has said the ultimate objective concerning the on-going unification talks in New York next month is to have a five-party meeting with the guarantor powers Greece, Turkey and Britain.

The Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders, Anastasiades and Akinci met last Tuesday to resume intensive talks to discuss and settle issues on four chapters and to also put guarantees on the table.

The issue on ground is that the Greek Cypriot side does not want any guarantor powers, come to talk of Turkey being part of the post-settlement but the Turkish Cypriots stressed that there cannot be a solution without any knid of Turkish presence.

According to Cyprus News Agency CNA, Turkish Cypriot leader Akinci said the Turkish Cypriots need some sort of guarantee.

“However if you want a solution, you cannot say you will never discuss this,” he said.

“Our people feel the need for safeguards. We see this and our people reflect this. The importance of Turkey for the Turkish Cypriots is very clear. We are talking about the only country that has supported the Turkish Cypriots for years.”

Akinci added that the UK does not want to be a guarantor power but only wanted to secure the status of the British bases. Greece on its part also might not want to be a guarantor power and is intrinsically linked to the Greek Cypriots.

Akinci said the coming three or four months will be crucial.

Akinci had often stressed that if 2016 ends without a deal in place, then by 2017, there would be more likely risks to reaching a settlement such as the coming Greek Cypriot presidential elections in 2018, which he fears may distract and influence Anastasiades.

“Certainly there is no one hundred per cent guarantee of that. But we see very clearly that there is this possibility,” he said. “To this end we will continue to work.”

Speaking about the New York trip in September after the end of the current negotiations on September 14 and an anticipated joint statement by both leaders, Akinici said the ultimate goal is a five-party conference since the guarantor powers will be in one place as well as the two sides.

Akinci said that if there were enough convergences in the next six meetings it would open the way for a meeting with Ban and the five-party conference.

“This is the goal in New York where the three guarantor powers will be and I hope the Greek Cypriot side is ready for this because I believe that from now on such an opportunity will not be easy to come by,” Akinci said.

Akinci also stated that if the current negotiation effort fails or goes to separate referenda and still fails, it would not be the end of the world.

“We will certainly continue our own way. This is not the desire or wish but if it happens we cannot do anything else,” he said.

“At the moment we walk the path of the solution. This process is the last effort of our generation and quite possibly could be the last effort for a federal solution, for a federal Cyprus “.

Source: Cyprus Mail