Talat: progress by the end of the year

Turkish Cypriot leader, Mehmet Ali Talat, said that he expects the talks on the Cyprus problem to bear fruit by the end of the year. “There is sufficient accumulated work. I am expecting progress by the end of the year and a solution at the beginning of 2009. In any case, if a solution is to be found, it will be an early one”, he told TAK news agency. He added, however, that if they are prolonged, they could collapse.

“The groundwork, the material, is ready. The negotiations regarding the Annan plan lasted 1.5 months, because the material was ready. Now it is more ready. The Annan plan may not be on the table, but it is in the bag. There is also the Ghali Set of Ideas etc. There is a lot of material. I believe that we will achieve important progress by the end of the year and that a solution will be reached the latest in the beginning of 2009. Do not say that this period is short. If a solution is to be found, this will be an early one. If it is protracted to a long period of time, the possibility of breaking down and collapsing increases”.

He said that property was the issue on which the two sides diverged the most, adding that the question of territorial adjustments which will determine the borders of the constituent states was also a difficult issues but a map could only be discussed if there was progress towards an agreement.

Referring to the issue of the guarantees and security, Mr Talat said that during discussions on the Annan plan the Greek Cypriot side did not even raise this issue but afterwards they tried to present it as if it is the number one problem. Former President Papadopoulos started to put it forward as an important point of disagreement because he knew that changing the guarantees is difficult.

He said that no agreement existed on the issue of the rotating presidency, other than that President Christofias accepts in principle that the presidency will rotate. He could not confirm any information published in the Greek Cypriot press on this issue and warned against “manipulative” information published in the Greek Cypriot press urging the Turkish Cypriot press to be careful especially during the negotiating process.

Moreover, Turkish daily Cumhuriyet says the Turkish Cypriot side will try to persuade the Greek Cypriot side to accept 3 years Greek Cypriot presidency and 1 year Turkish Cypriot presidency. However, the Greek Cypriot side wants to leave to the Turkish side the vice-presidency only.

Another disagreement is over that the Turkish side sees the formation of the Federal State of the Republic of Cyprus by two founding states. The Greek Cypriot side supports that it is sufficient to amend the Republic of Cyprus' Constitution .

Meanwhile Ankara Anatolia news agency reports that a spokesman with the Turkish Foreign Ministry said Friday that Turkey retained its supportive position for peace negotiations on Cyprus, which are expected to bring Turkish and Greek Cypriot leaders to table early September. "There is no change in our position and we are supporting the September 3rd process. We have always said the problem could be solved on the basis of a new partnership which would be based on political equality of the two communities, the principle of a bi-zonal state and equal status of the two founder states,’ the spokesman told a weekly press briefing. He added that the Foreign Ministry and the Turkish General Staff worked ‘closely and in cooperation’ on the Cyprus issue.”