Cyprus Talks | So Near Yet So Far Away

Cyprus Talks – So Near Yet So Far Away

Conflicting news seems to be coming out of Cyprus concerning the attempts to find a solution to the 50 year old problem there.

On one hand TRNC President Dervis Eroglu is stating that a solution is possible this year but when you look at the problems needing to be surmounted you wonder how this could ever be possible.

For example, according to Havadis newspaper, Eroglu says that “a huge gap exists between the demands of the sides in the Cyprus problem.” One such gap is the property demands the south is making. It appears the south wants territory in which 160 000 Greek Cypriot refugees can settle in the north and another 60 000 properties in which they have the first say on. That would certainly mess up the voting balance in the north if it were to happen. Imagine just two Greek Cypriot voters per property situated in the Turkish Cypriot State, that’s not a settlement that’s revenge!

Eroglu also accused the south of:

“Back stepping from the rotating presidency. They say let us return to the 1960 Republic and the Turks to elect the Vice President. Let no right of veto exist. Such views exist”.

He pointed out that the argument that if the return of Varosha would not “decrease the will of the Greek Cypriots for a solution”, then the approval of the Direct Trade Regulation would also not decrease the will of the Turkish Cypriots for a solution either.