Cyprus “Peace Talks” | It’s Now or Never

Today the UN will decide the future of the “Peace Talks,” although the term seems to deny the fact that since 1974 Turkish Cypriots have experienced the longest period of peace for over a century. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Special Adviser on Cyprus Alexander Downer will meet in New York to discuss and then decide the next steps the UN will take.

Although the Greek Cypriot leader, Demetris Christofias wants to continue the 4-year old talks, he admits that little progress has been made and Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu has called on the UN to call a five-party conference or else he will call a halt to the talk after July 1. Citing the failure of the current talks he feels that the basis of the talks is at fault and that their open-ended nature was to blame. The Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu seemed to support this initiative being reported as saying that the current model will replaced by a new model based on two independent states.

The Turkish daily Milliyet says that Turkey will call on the world, starting with the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, to recognise the newly named Turkish Cypriot State and that Famagusta will be opened under Turkish Cypriot control. This latter initiative despite the UN maintaining that it would only countenance such an act if it were under UN control.

According to the south’s Cyprus Mail, “unnamed officials reportedly said if the above three steps do not bring about the required results then Turkey will annex the north.”

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