Important developments soon, says Turkey

Turkish Foreign Minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, has said that important developments might take place in Cyprus, according to Turkish daily Cumhurriyet. “There are some issues which are developing. I cannot say something because of state interests. When the time comes, they will be announced; at this time it is early to state some things.”

Moreover, in an article headlined “The target in Cyprus is four-party summit”, another Turkish daily, Sabah, says that “Ankara has pressed the button for convincing the Greek Cypriots in the ongoing negotiations between the Turks and the Greeks in Cyprus.” “It says that on December 7, Prime Minister Erdogan will give the message to the US President Obama that ‘a timetable should be created for the process. The paper says the target is, through an uninterrupted negotiating process like Burgenstock or Camp David, to go to a referendum at the beginning of 2010 before the elections are held in the north of the island. It adds that support will be asked from the US in setting a timetable for the negotiating process.

It says that Athens has received a letter that Erdogan sent to the Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou positively and it is expected that Davutoglu, who will go to Athens on 1-2 December for the OSCE meeting, will ask for a four-party summit to be held between the Greek and Turkish Cypriot sides, Greece and Turkey along the lines of Camp David or Burgenstock.

British Minister for Europe Chris Bryant, who is on a visit to Cyprus, yesterday voiced optimism about the progress of Cyprus negotiations.

"After a series of meetings this week, in particular with the two leaders and key figures in the negotiations, I now feel much more optimistic", he told reporters yesterday. "This is partly because there will be an intensification of negotiations in the coming weeks, and partly because of the trust between the two leaders."

He added "With four people who are committed to finding a solution, in Ankara, Athens and the two leaders here, there is a real possibility of achieving a lasting solution."

He expressed his bemusement at the situation in Cyprus, saying "When I went around the buffer zone I thought 'how does humanity end up tolerating this type of status quo?' All Europeans should hang their head in shame for allowing a divided capital city to remain in Europe... This is madness, this must be solved."

Asked to clarify the UK's position on Guarantor rights, Bryant said "We believe very firmly that this process should run its course. If at any stage the question of guarantees becomes a serious issue, we will not be a fly in the ointment and if this is something people want us to address we will not stand in the way of a resolution. It is in the interests of Cyprus and Europe."

Asked about Turkey's non-compliance with the 2004 Ankara Protocol, Bryant reaffirmed Britain's long-standing commitment to realising Turkish accession "We want it to look West not East. This is the key to the security of the west, but also potentially an Asian tiger on our doorsteps, and we want it in the EU. If we slam the door on Turkish accession that will be a way of saying we do not want Ankara to fulfill its obligations."

When asked what made him think Turkey was receptive to British encouragement, he likened the negotiations to a marathon race, in which we are nearing a stage "Where the end is in sight. It is like the last few hundred metres when we need to put all our energy into crossing the line. My experience is that (the leaders) are determined, and have a good working relationship. There is a level of trust there."

He added that Turkey had volunteered to sign the Ankara Protocol of its own free will and must implement it."

Moreover, Turkish daily Hurriyet reported that British Prime Minister Gordon Brown told Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a telephone conversation two days ago, that Britain supports the negotiating process in Cyprus and that “If necessary we are ready to evacuate the British bases in Cyprus”.

The National Council convened yesterday for a marathon session during which the parties were updated on progress in the talks on the Cyprus problem and discussed the EU-Turkey issue.

The Government Spokesman said that President Christofias had drafted a letter to be sent to EU heads of state informing them of Nicosia’s formal position regarding Turkey’s accession process. If Turkey does not fulfil its obligations then Cyprus will not allow it to pass untroubled from the scheduled December EU evaluation process, the Council decided.

As regards the talks, it was agreed to continue discussion on the property issue at the level of a sub-committee set up under the presidential adviser, where the parties can table their positions and views.

Some parties have have previously disagreed with certain specific positions taken by President Christofias, specifically as regards his position on a rotating Presidency, weighted voting, the residency question and the mechanism for resolving disputes.

“There are areas where there is a mutual understanding. There are areas where differences remain,” said DISY President Nicos Anastasiades, summing up the course of yesterday’s meeting.

The National Council will meet again on 4 December.