Cyprus Problem | Referendum in March 2014

Cyprus Problem | Referendum in March 2014

According to Bayrak television (05.10.13) the north Cyprus Foreign Minister, Ozdil Nami:

“We will restart the negotiations in October and conclude them in March. I hope to see the Yes vote in the referendum and the problem would get out of the UN’s agenda after 50 years. This would be a very meaningful message for the international community”.

This strong message is meant to signify that by March 2014 the Cyprus Talks, which have been going on for 40 years, will be concluded and whatever had been agreed will be voted upon by Cypriots. Obviously it is in the interests of both sides not to include anything that would produce an overwhelming No! vote, as was the case in 2004. But at the same time, forcing one side to vote No! and then saying that was the end of the talks would be a tactical victory for the side accepting the deal. If the referendum vote was a repeat of 2004 then the north could argue that the international community should accept that the only way forwards would be independence for the north.

Reporting on the same issue, Yeni Duzen (05.10.13) says that Nami also stated that confederation is not on the agenda for the north and that the Maraş (Varosha) issue is a territory issue. These could only be part of a comprehensive solution and could not be used separate from these negotiations.

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