TRNC News Today 4^th August 2015

Çolak: “Going beyond the parameters of the joint text is out of the question”

Foreign Minister Emine Çolak stated that going beyond the parameters mentioned in the joint text which was signed on 11 February 2014 is out of the question and said that the leaders and the negotiators had discussed about how to formulate these parameters. In her speech during one of her receptions Foreign Minister Çolak said that the negotiations proceed quickly but this is not actually surprising because of the negotiation chapters which had been discussed before.

Çolak stated that it has been worked for an appropriate solution for the needs and precisions of both sides and asked to be careful about the intentional distortions related to the process.

Minister Çolak explained that it is being tried to reach a settlement on guarantees so that both communities feel safe, and moved according to the law and the EU principles on sensitive issues such as property.

Çolak explained that the EU policies protect the rights of the persons who have the property deeds in the relevant period as well as the rights of the users. Global exchange had fallen off the agenda a long time ago, but each topic was discussed in their own mechanisms such as compensation, exchange and return.

Çolak stated that there is false news about the EU’s role in the process and added that, the EU is not a party at the table but the EU provides technical assistance only. Çolak mentioned that there are sensitive points in sharing information related to the negotiations and said that there are drawbacks in sharing the details of the ongoing negotiation process.

Minister Çolak stated that it is true that the problems in sharing information are increasing speculations and creating material to malevolent persons but besides our need and right for information, it is vital for us that our negotiator has a strong hand in the process. Let us be more patient and understanding, she said.

Akıncı: “We are in the beginning of the way regarding property”

President Mustafa Akıncı said that they have just started to discuss issues relating to property rights. Stating that there is false information circulating, Akıncı said: ‘The names of the villages, the percentages, and the maps have not been discussed yet. They will be discussed when the right time comes. It is not the right time now’.

Underlining that he will never take a step that would be dangerous for the Turkish Cypriots and that would make them live a life that they do not deserve, Akıncı stated: ‘I want the Turkish Cypriot community to feel at peace’.

Making statements about the Cyprus problem at a reception, Mustafa Akıncı said that they are in the third month of the negotiation process that has been going on for 47 years. Akıncı added: ‘Our people believe that a settlement of the Cyprus problem will be reached soon. I am happy for that’.

Stating that ‘the negotiation process and its progression are very important for our future’, Akıncı said that it is natural that people want to have first-hand accounts of the process.

President Mustafa Akıncı stated that he will inform the government and the political parties with seats in the Assembly next week, and that he will have a meeting with press representatives on Wednesday morning.

Stating that they will also establish a platform for civil society, Akıncı said that he also had a meeting with the Speaker of the Assembly, Sibel Siber, and that she will come together with the members of Parliament next month in the Assembly.

Stating that he wants a possible settlement to ‘be in favour of the both communities’, President Mustafa Akıncı emphasized that they are in accordance with the Joint Declaration, dated 11 February 2014. He also reminded that they started negotiating after making sure they were in agreement on this issue.

Stating that the Declaration also refers to the EU norms and the EU principles, President Akıncı said: ‘Adopting the EU norms does not mean that we abandon bi-zonality’.

Mentioning the EU’s position in the process and several important principles, Akıncı said: ‘It is an UN-led process. There was also an EU representative in 2012. The same person has been appointed again. He will provide us with technical assistance and his specialized knowledge’.

Kalyoncu: “Don’t worry about the Cyprus issue”

Speaking on Kıbrıs TV program, Prime Minister Ömer Kalyoncu stated that the people shouldn’t worry about a settlement to be found in the Cyprus issue and he also said that a referendum will also be held for the solution of the Cyprus problem. On the other hand Kalyoncu stated that there is an organized structure which tries to damage the well-going negotiation process and he also emphasized that there are some intentional allegations regarding the “Property” and “Bi-zonality” issues. Negotiator Nami and President Akıncı are behaving very carefully in the negotiations, he said. Moreover, Kalyoncu said that if the claims were right and there was an advantage to the Greek people regarding the property issue, the applications to the Property Compensation Commission would be drawn back instantly.

Eide: ‘Support leaders during negotiations’

UN Secretary-General’s Special Adviser on Cyprus, Espen Barth Eide, said that he is very pleased with the course of the negotiations that are being conducted in order to solve the Cyprus problem, however he said that the two communities should also support the leaders during the process.

Eide came together with Bi-communal Famagusta Initiative (BFI) activists yesterday evening and talked with them about the negotiations and a possible settlement.

Espen Barth Eide said that it was a great pleasure meeting with Bi-communal Famagusta Initiative (BFI) members and that he had been following them from a distance, however, he wanted to visit them on site and listen to what they think of the process.

Stating that the negotiations are making successful progress and that he feels very assured thanks to this, Eide said: ‘Besides the fact that both leaders trust each other, they are concentrating on the big picture, rather than going into little details that brought the negotiations to a halt before.’

Stating that the opinions that have been expressed in the meeting with BFI can speed up the process, Eide said: ‘seeing that a civil society initiative is deeply engaged is not only important, but also an incentive for me. Settlement of the Cyprus problem is for the good of all Cypriots. The leaders are conducting the process and it is very important, because they have been elected democratically. On the other hand, the two communities should also support the leaders. Politicians can help the process, however, they cannot do everything on their own. I am saying this based on my experiences as a former politician’.