Yesterday's make-or-break talks in Montreux, Switzerland, on the reunification of Cyprus ended with the Turkish Cypriot side still refusing to negotiate on the basis of the UN proposal.
While the Greek Cypriots, headed by President Clerides of Cyprus, have agreed to negotiate on the basis of the proposal prepared by the UN representative, Mr Diego Cordovez, Turkish Cypriot leader, Mr Rauf Denktash, rejected the document. The UN proposes a federation comprised of two communal entities with a single and indivisible sovereignty and lays down the step-by-step procedure for reaching this.
Following the rejection, the Turks were apparently warned that a negative approach could have adverse repercussions on Turkey's customs union with the EU.
The Turks have been accused of reneging on the March 6th, 1995, agreement, which granted Turkey a generous customs union in exchange for a pledge not to oppose Cyprus's EU application. Mr Denktash has sought to make progress in negotiations conditional on the suspension of EU accession talks with Cyprus.
Mr Cordovez and representatives of the US, Britain, Russia and Germany met Mr Denktash in an attempt to make him change his mind. As a result, Mr Denktash and Mr Clerides discussed the text during two sessions yesterday and are expected to put forward their own ideas today.
Cyprus has been divided since the Turkish army occupied the northern third of the island in 1974. The Turks have argued for confederation rather than federation and insisted that sovereignty should emanate from two communities rather than from the centre.
Meanwhile, 600 Greek Cypriots will make a pilgrimage today to the Apostolos Andreas monastery in the Turkish-occupied Karpass Peninsula, commemorating the Day of the Virgin. It had been scheduled to take place on Greek Orthodox Good Friday, but was cancelled when the Turkish Cypriot authorities removed names from the list. Since then, however, relations have improved.
