CUMHURIYET- Columnist Orhan Birgit comments on the outcome of recent talks between Denktas and Clerides in Cyprus. A summary of his column is as follows:
The successes of the Turkish football team in the World Cup must have hampered the public’s keeping up with the developments taking place in the talks between Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Denktas and Greek Cypriot administration leader Glafcos Clerides. Both sides are trying hard not to leave the impression that they are the one who has left the table. The new formula the TRNC brought to the table through consulting with Turkey has left the Greek Cypriot side in a tight spot. Turkish Cypriots are adopting the living example of an EU country, Belgium, for the island. Denktas, who tailored to Cyprus’ conditions the model ensuring that both the Flemish and the Walloons live in peace together in Belgium, is presenting a structural formula abolishing the state presumed to exist today and instead proposing a republic based on partnership. This new ‘Partnership Republic,’ which will have a new name, a new flag and a new anthem will be formed by the Greek Cypriot state in the south and Turkish Cypriot state in the north. These two states will grant restricted authority to the new Partnership Republic they will form, and yield their own power. In the Partnership Republic, which will have a tri-partite sovereignty right, the main two legs will not interfere in the other’s affairs, nor will they claim that they are superior to the other. Furthermore they will carry out the work of a joint police force, judiciary, education and other functions they will agree upon in a democratic structure. Certainly, both partners will enter the EU. The European Union cannot in principle oppose the implementation of a system existing in one of its members in Cyprus. The US seems to support this initiative. There has been no opposing view from the UN yet as the sides are expected to reach an agreement on certain principles. Since the joint republic to be formed by Denktas’ proposal will accept the 1960 Agreement as valid, Britain one of the guarantor powers supports the initiative and this achieved a new significance following the statements of Cyprus Special Representative David Hannay on CNN-Turk. When Greek Cypriot leader Glafcos Clerides found himself in a squeeze, he wanted to bring the security issue to the table. He suggested that the European army to come to the island be responsible for security. In addition to Turkey, both the US and the UK rejected this offer as they knew that the underlying reason for such a suggestion was to dress the EU member Greek Cypriot national guards and the Greek army corps on the island in EU uniforms. This time Clerides asked for an increase in the number of UN troops on the island and to arm them with new authorities. Denktas opposed this suggestion by listing the incidents the UN force was involved in before 1974 one by one. He recalled that the UN peace force troops on the island had occasionally supplied the gangs of Sampson with intelligence and weapons during the June 20 operation. This time, the reactions of the opposition on the island came to the help of Clerides. They claimed that the Greek Cypriot administration did not have the power to negotiate a Partnership Republic which was not approved by the Greek Cypriot National Council. The Greek Cypriots said that only Magosa should be left in the Turkish side in the east, and asked for Lefke and Yesilyurt to be joined to the Greek Cypriot territory in the west and the north. Denktas is playing a chess game with his diplomatic attacks. Prime Minister Ecevit has said frequently that Cyprus was not a European issue but one that concerned the Near East and added that the EU should not be concerned with the problem there. He reiterated that the solution of the issue must be left to the two communities on the island and to thee three states party to the agreements guaranteeing the communities’ survival.

SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION