"If Turkey recognizes a Cyprus Republic, which is governed by Greek Cypriots, Turkish Cypriots will have to forget their rights granted to them under the Annan Plan," said Mustafa Akinci, head of the Peace and Democracy Movement (BDH) in northern Cyprus. "In that case, Turkish Cypriots will only have a diluted version of their rights granted to them by the 1960 Agreement."
"The settlement in Brussels has provided Turkish Cypriots and Turkey with a new opportunity to defeat the blackmailing attitude of the Papdopoulos government," said Ferdi Sabit Soyer, the Secretary-General of the Republican Turkish Party (CTP).
"Turkey, in its bid to join the EU, will have to recognize the Cyprus Republic, and it will always run into this problem during negotiations," said Huseyin Angolemli, head of the Socialist Liberation Party (TKP). Angolemli expressed that Turkey has to avoid a step that would reduce the status of Turkish Cypriots into a minority, and called on both Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots to initiate the peace process.
The following are opinions of Akinci, Soyer and Angolemli about the developments in Brussels:
Akinci: It is not enough to recognize 24 members of a 25-member bloc.
* It was pretty clear that Turkey would get a date to start EU negotiations at the Brussels summit. What needs to be done now, is to solve the Cyprus problem by October 3, and get Turkey recognize a united Cyprus Republic.
* When Turkey sits at the table on October 3, it will negotiate with a 25-member bloc. It can't get away with just recognizing 24 of the 25 members.
* If a solution on the island is delayed, the economic relations Turkey will have to build with the Cyprus Republic governed by Greek Cypriots, will in time, turn into political relations.
* We need to make clear that the lack of solution will be to the disadvantage of Greek Cypriots too. Cypriots, Turkish and Greek Cypriots, have to take action for peace on the island.
Limited negotiations on the Annan Plan
* We propose limited negotiations on the Annan Plan. We need to bring about peace by making small changes but preserving the essence of the Annan Plan, so that we can change the "no" of Greek Cypriots into a "yes" and keep the "yes" of Turkish Cypriots as it is.
* General elections will be held on the Turkish Cypriot side on February 20. A pro-peace government has to take power in the elections.
* The messages from the Turkish government are very important for Turkish Cypriots. The Erdogan government will have to play a constrictive role in the process toward peace.
Soyer: A new opportunity to defeat the blackmailing approach of the Papadopoulos government
* The Papadopoulos government tried to use the advantage, which was provided to it by the pro-status quo officials who blocked peace in The Hague and Copenhagen, against the Turkish Cypriots and Turkey in Brussels. The settlement in Brussels has provided Turkish Cypriots and Turkey with a new opportunity to defeat the blackmailing attitude of the Papdopoulos
government.
* The success today, will show the Greek Cypriots that Papdopoulos' policy of "no to peace" is unsuccessful. If the international community stands beside Turkish Cypriots, that will help Greek Cypriots eliminate those who are against peace.
* Turkish Cypriots and Turkey will have to demonstrate their will to solve the Cyprus problem by October 3.
* What's important is to speed up the peace process and the eliminate the isolation of Turkish Cypriots. We have to make the Greek Cypriots question Papdopoulos who says: "I rejected the peace plan and I didn't lose anything.
Angolemli: Turkish Cypriots have to take measures for a solution
* The summit will boost Turkey's EU bid and trigger peace initiatives in Cyprus. Turkey knows that the absence of solution on the island will always haunt it on the negotiations table.
* Greek Cypriots don't seem to want peace. They have to be forced to want a solution. Greek Cypriots have to understand that a lack of solution will hurt them too. Turkish Cypriots have to take some measures to make that happen.
* For example, we have to bring onto the agenda the creation of a Turkish Cypriot State, which was going to be a constituent state of the United Cyprus Republic under the Annan Plan. We have to defend our rights arising from the 1960 Agreement.
* Turkish Cypriots, who had to leave their houses because of oppression and pressures between the years 1963 and 1974, have to go ahead and sue the Cyprus Republic, and demand to be compensated. Turkish Cypriots will have to bring onto the agenda a case similar to the Loizidou case.
* Under the Annan Plan, two of the six Cypriot lawmakers to have a seat at the European Parliament, would be Turkish Cypriots. Turkish Cypriots need to pick those two people and send them to the European Parliament. The Turkish Cypriot lawmakers can sit at the parliament's corridors, even if they can't enter the parliament, and send a message to the world every day. An approach has to be adopted to encourage the Greek Cypriots to want a solution.
* Moreover, north Cyprus doesn't seem to have will for a solution right now. Although the negotiations in Brussels were focused on the Cyprus problem, there was not a single politician there to represent Turkish Cypriots. Neither our prime minister, nor our foreign minister or any other politician was there.
* Turkish Cypriots and Turkey have to take initiative for peace right now. They have to face the problem and ask for their rights without ever giving up. (BB/EU/EA/YE)
