Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar said he wants the sovereign equality and equal international status of Turkish Cypriots "fully accepted or reaffirmed".
In an interview with Phileleftheros, he said "e are the Turks and it is specified in the constitution what we are. The Greek Cypriots are Greeks and it is specified in the constitution what they are," adding that the "constitution is co-operative". According to Ersin Tatar, "e have never had a policy of uniting Cyprus with Turkey, despite the fact that before 1878 and for 400 years, here was part of the Ottoman Empire."
According to Tatar, "it is in the interest of both T/C and E/C to recognize the reality on the island. The reality is the existence of two different peoples on the island, T/C and E/C," adding that "we T/C do not accept to be an authority under the Republic of Cyprus. We do not want to be a minority on the island."
As he argued, "so if there is recognition of our sovereign equality and along with equal international status, this will encourage us to sit down formally to negotiate the Cyprus problem and all aspects connected with it."
In response to a comment on whether there is a possibility of the situation going back to allow E/C and T/C to live together as many on the island consider feasible, Mr. Tatar said he has many E/C friends, including Nicos Anastasiades, but said that T/Cs have had "their own separate state for almost 60 years" and that "it is impossible to turn back the clocks."
He reiterated the claim that the TCs were unilaterally admitted to the EU, adding that the TCs have lost hope in Europe, noting that once the Republic of Cyprus joined the EU, "they started telling us that the guarantee mechanism is anachronistic and that a new guarantee system should be based on a European framework." "The dimensions of the approach have changed and are not tolerated by us," he added. Tatar said that what is missing is a new agreement because in practice there are two states on the island.
The Turkish Cypriot leader says he is ready for informal dialogue, which is why - as he said - in a recent meeting with the British Ambassador in Nicosia he suggested that he and Mr. Anastasiades and their delegations to London "for dialogue in a different environment."
Regarding his next steps with Varosha, Tatar said "Varosha has been opened. Once the property council has examined all the applications and the process is completed, "the properties can be returned to their real owners."
At the same time, he said that while Nicos Anastasiades said yes to the Annan plan, the Greek Cypriots, including AKEL, said no. "If you said yes, then the Varosha would return," he said.
With regard to those who have properties "either in the south or in the north," Tatar said that "the Cyprus problem is a complicated issue" and "when we come to human rights and property rights, we recognise the problem." He referred to a "general exchange" and mentioned the "property committee" saying it was assessing the situation.
Source: CNA
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