The breakaway regime of occupied Cyprus will conduct constitutional changes and will change its name if the Cyprus peace talks do not provide a solution by July 2012, Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu has said.
Speaking to Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris, Eroglu said that a possible failure to find a solution by July would mean that Turkish Cypriots would have to “continue their own road.”
The Republic of Cyprus assumes the rotating presidency of the EU Council in July 2012, amidst Greek Cypriot concerns that the date will be used as an artificial deadline to apply pressure on the Republic to accept any solution.
Eroglu said that Turkish Cypriots were aiming to sign a Cyprus agreement within the first quarter of 2012 and have a referendum by July 2012, “so that we can assume the EU presidency together with the Greek Cypriots.”
The Turkish Cypriot leader said that if this did not materialise, changes would be introduced in the internal regulations and the assembly of the breakaway regime, and it would change its name to either “North Cyprus Turkish state” or “Turkish Cypriot state.”
Responding to the comments, government spokesman Stefanos Stefanou said that it was the Republic’s intention to find a solution as soon as possible but clarified that this could only be done if both communities stuck to the agreed solution framework.
“Unfortunately, under the leadership of Eroglu, the Turkish side has drifted away from the solution framework as outlined by the UN and has not picked up from where Talat (the previous TC leader) left off” said Stefanou.
The last meeting between the two leaders in mid-December concerning the property dimension of the Cyprus problem was dubbed a failure by both President Demetris Christofias and UN Special Adviser Alexander Downer, with Christofias complaining that Eroglu was making demands that were not in the spirit of the bi-zonal, bi-communal federation with one sovereignty, citizenship and international personality.
Eroglu’s comments were also criticised by the leader of the Republican Turkish Party, Ozkan Yorgancioglu, who branded the statements “unfortunate.”
Yorgancioglu said that Turkish Cypriots should focus on making the next UN summit on the Cyprus problem a success rather than preparing and promoting scenarios of a “Turkish Cypriot state.”
Christofias and Eroglu are expected to meet the UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon in New York on January 22, where the progress of the talks will be evaluated. The two leaders are due to meet today.
Stefanou reiterated that there were no deadlines in place, and conceded that while it would be desirable for a unified Cyprus to preside the EU, the Republic will be more than competent to accomplish the feat without a solution.
“Such comments and threats do no good to the peace talks and make the July 2012 target, as apparently envisaged by Eroglu as the solution deadline, even more unrealistic” said Stefanou.
Source: Cyprus Mail