Erdogan: window of opportunity will not remain open forever

According to Bayrak television, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that Turkey wishes the peace environment in Cyprus to pave the way for peace, development and cooperation in a region much broader than the island.

Speaking today in northern Nicosia, at a ceremony on the occasion of the anniversary of the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus, Erdogan said that the existing window of opportunity will not remain open forever. “We sincerely believe in the objective of the solution. However, we should not forget that the knife has reached the bone. The current negotiation process, which has exceeded three years with its preparatory period, has come to its final stage”, he said and called on “the other interested parties to support peace and take steps in this direction”.

“There is absolutely no doubt now that the solution within the UN parameters will be found in accordance to the agreements of the leaders in their joint statements during the current negotiation process. The new partnership within this framework will be a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation based on political equality as described in the relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council. In parallel to a federal government with a single international identity, this partnership will have a Founding Turkish Cypriot State and a Founding Greek Cypriot State.”

Erdogan reiterated that an agreement should be reached by the end of the year and a referendum should be held before July 2012, so that the “new partnership

In statements in Ankara yesterday before coming to Cyprus, Erdogan told journalists that the Cyprus problem had entered a new stage and that the Turkish side is not at the point it was in 2004 during the Annan Plan. Varosha, he said, is not on the agenda of the Turkish side, nor will they turn Morphou into a bargaining issue or withdraw any troops from the island. “The conditions of the Burgenstock period no longer exist. The giving period has ended. Giving Morphou is not on my books. We gave it in 2004 and they did not want it”, he said. He added that the Greek Cypriots had lost their chance by not accepting the Annan Plan in 2004 and should not expect him to withdraw any troops from the island.

Erdogan described the transfer of electricity to the south as a “very human” act. He said that they will use this human approach in the international field and they will explain this wherever they go to show the world the good intentions of the Turkish Cypriot side. He said that the danger exists for the negotiations to come to a dead-end, that time is running out and that they expect the Greek Cypriots to take a step. He said the Cyprus problem is approaching its end and they have other alternatives if necessary.

Moreover, an article in Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily on the occasion of Erdogan’s says the north has been decked out in an unprecedentedly lavish fashion for the visit, which is his first since a crisis erupted earlier this year over angry anti-Turkey placards carried by protesters demonstrating against new austerity measures.

The article says that the austerity package has, however, started to help improve the Turkish Cypriot economy. At a time when the Greek side of the island has started experiencing serious economic difficulties, northern Cyprus expects a 5% increase this year in budget revenues, a 15% boost in tourism revenues and annual growth of around 5 - 6% -- a marked improvement over the negative growth rates seen during the past few years.

The key goal of Erdogan’s trip, the article says, is to reassure the Turkish Cypriots of Turkey’s continued support. The visit will also be a message to Greek Cyprus at a time when hopes are building globally that the divided eastern Mediterranean island might be edging toward a resolution by the end of this year.Moreover Turkey has begun to construct a deep-water pipeline to pump some 75 million cubic meters of fresh water a year to northern Cyprus, a project slated to be completed by March 2014. Lately, however, it has started to hint that perhaps instead of one pipeline it might lay down a twin pipeline and double the amount of water provided to the island, and that perhaps the Greek side would also be interested in obtaining water from Turkey.

Meanwhile the leaders of the two communities met yesterday and discussed the programme of meetings they would have in the wake of the Geneva summit.

“We at the United Nations look forward to this period being a very constructive period of negotiations”, the UN S-G’s Special Adviser Alexander Downer told the press.

He said the leaders will have a total of 19 twice weekly all-day intensive meetings beginning from next week 25 July through to 21 October, with a break from 7 – 21 August and another in the third week of September for the UN General Assembly.

Mr Downer expressed the UN’s pleasure at the arrangement whereby the Turkish Cypriots would provide electricity to the Greek Cypriots after the disaster at Mari, adding: “We hope that people in Cyprus overall understand the positive message that that particular initiative sends”, he said.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu said “we have agreed to hold meetings twice a week and concentrate on how we can reach convergences on core issues”. He added that just as the UN Secretary-General had noted in his report, the issue of maps will be the last subject to be discussed.

President Christofias, on his return to the Presidential Palace, said that both the United Nations and Mr Eroglu had expressed their condolences for the victims of the tragedy in Mari and there was also an exchange of views about the electricity supply.

“The procedure followed did not involve any ‘official’ sides, but I conveyed my appreciation for the fact that the Turkish Cypriots were willing to provide electricity at a time of great difficulty without demanding any direct or indirect recognition of ‘authorities’” he added.

Commenting on Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan’s statements on Cyprus he described them as absolutely condemnable, adding that he feels that the United Nations are also offended by these references because the UN wish for genuine progress during the talks.

“If this is the line that the Turkish side will follow there will be no prospect for any progress”, he added.