BY ILTER TURKMEN
HURRIYET- Last week I was part of a group of academics and reporters who went to Cyprus at the invitation of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Mehmet Ali Talat. From my visit, I could tell that my previous impression that the people of the TRNC aren't eager for a solution was mistaken. Our contacts showed that Turkish Cypriots generally prefer a solution to continuing the status quo. Economic growth of over 10% over the last three years from a construction boom has stopped, and last year the economy even shrunk 2%. People generally think it won't be easy to provide economic momentum without a solution.
Obviously, electing Dimitris Christofias the Greek Cypriot administration leader and Talat's search for a solution have raised people's hope for a settlement. Working groups and committees, envisioned by former Greek Cypriot administration leader Tassos Papadopoulos but inactive up to now, have started to become more active. These groups show a picture of parties' positions on such issues as management and power-sharing, safety and guarantees, and relations with the European Union and borders. They also deal with daily issues. The opening of Lokmacy Gate has established a new confidence. After the gate opened, the number of people crossing the border from the south to the north leaped from 800 to 3,000 per day. In addition, contacts between Turkish and Greek Cypriots are very common on both the official and social levels.
Of course, the most interesting aspect of our visit was our nearly three-hour-meeting with Christofias. The Greek Cypriot leader dealt with the push for a solution, referred to his friendship with Talat, and asked who could solve the island's problems if not he and Talat. He reiterated that if a solution can be found, 50,000 people of Turkish origin on Cyprus would accept being citizens of a new federal state. According to Christofias, talks should aim for a solution under the consensuses reached in 1977 between then TRNC President Rauf Denktas and his Greek Cypriot counterpart Archbishop Makarios and in 1979 between Denktas and Spyros Kyprianou, that is, a solution based on two nations, two zones, and political equality. But he's against calling this 'people' instead of 'nation.' He rejects the 'virgin birth' thesis which was established without Greek Cypriot consent in the Annan plan, which he had supported in 2004 but no longer. In other words, he wants the state to be a continuation of the ' Cypriot Republic ' and rejects agreements of guarantee and alliance. He argues that no EU member state can be put under the custody of another, non-EU state. Contrary to the Annan plan process, he wants the parties to negotiate without any mediator.
We also talked with Christofias about ending the TRNC's isolation. He doesn't favor allowing direct trade between the TRNC and the EU. He believes direct exports from Magusa Harbor to the EU would mean recognizing the TRNC. He wants Turkey to fulfill its obligations under the Customs Union and unilaterally open its harbors to Greek Cypriot ships and planes. It was expected that if negotiations started, they would be long and hard and that the Greek Cypriot administration would benefit from its status as the EU member and try to get rid of certain planks in the Annan plan it dislikes. But in the interest of the Turkish Cypriots and Turkey , it would be best to try to find ways to reach agreement with Christofias, who seems to unmoving on issues sensitive to Turkish Cypriots and Turkey , in terms of EU membership."