Talat calls on US to appoint special envoy to Cyprus

Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC) President Mehmet Ali Talat said his country wants the US to lift the economic isolation of the Turkish Cypriots and appoint a special envoy to Cyprus to assist in facilitating ongoing peace talks with the Greek Cypriots with the aim of reunifying the island, during a speech he gave at the Washington-based Council on Foreign Relations on Wednesday.

Noting that a US special envoy to Cyprus could be under the direction of either the White House or the State Department, Talat said such a move would contribute positively to the peace negotiations that have been in progress since September 2008 in an attempt to unify the island after three decades of separation. Talat also asked the US to take steps to ease the international isolation of Turkish Cypriots. Positively evaluating Turkey's role in the peace talks, Talat said the most painful part of the talks concerns property issues during the negotiations.

Recalling that the involved parties have decided to intensify the second phase of negotiations, which started in mid-September of this year, Talat said the Turkish Cypriots have offered several recommendations within the framework of United Nations parameters that help establish principles and style of the negotiations and noted that problems occur when Greek Cyprus goes beyond the UN parameters, which happens frequently.

Answering a question regarding the negotiation timeline and possible international arbitration, President Talat pointed out that Greek Cypriot leader Dimitris Christofias has said, “We do not accept a timeline or outside arbitration.” “You could complete that thought by saying, ‘We do not accept a solution to the Cyprus problem',” Talat quipped. Talat said if the talks do not have a timeline, they will not produce any results.

todayszaman

01.10.2009

By:Gold on Eki 8, 2009

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Talat calls on US to appoint special envoy to Cyprus

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