Source: CNA
Ersin Tatar is considering sending a letter to the UN Secretary-General before the visit of UN Deputy Secretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo to explain his positions on what was discussed and the issues raised at the meeting between the two leaders, saying he does not know "how what was discussed will be conveyed to him."
Speaking in an early afternoon broadcast on the Turkish Cypriot channel Kipris, the Turkish Cyprio leader said they are now working on the letter which will be directly to Guterres. "Of course, there is a representative here (of the General Secretary), but you know that the Special Representatives are always under the influence of the Greek Cypriots. That is why I will send it directly to him."
He will write to him, he said, that at the dinner in New York, he (Guterres) spoke to them about crossing points, but unfortunately, Christodoulides is taking the matter elsewhere. "He has brought a package that contains issues which we cannot possibly accept." To a reporter's remark that the package contains points for a youth committee and so on, Ersin Tatar said that "these have nothing to do with it."
He said that the Truth Commission proposed by President Christodoulides is "politicizing the issue of the missing persons," whereas it is a "humanitarian issue." When the time comes, and after the work of the Committee on Missing Persons is completed, we can discuss this, he added.
He should not have "...mixed the issues. Other crossings, other issues," he said, adding that "If you put them as a package, you won't open Mia Milia - Louroujina, you won't pass by Kokkina." According to Tatar, the UN Secretary-General at the New York dinner told them to discuss and try to resolve the problems about the crossing points and to open a crossing point in Mia Milia. "Did the General Secretary mention Mia Milia by name?"
He reiterated that if a crossing point is opened at Mia Milia, traffic in Ag. Dometios will be alleviated. According to Tatar, the barrier at Limnitis "was a gift to the Greek Cypriots," and he believes that the Kato Zodia barrier also serves the Greek Cypriots passing through Limnitis from Pyrgos to Nicosia more. When these crossing points were opened, he continued, Mehmet Ali Talat had made a goodwill gesture, "now let them do it for us."
Regarding the Louroujina area and whether there could be a crossing there, Tatar said that "they keep talking about transit crossings," which he said he was against, and argued that the Greek Cypriots want to pass from the, "Greek Cypriot side to the Greek Cypriot side through our own territories and they will come in 20 years to say that these are their territories now."
The same game, Tatar said, is what the Greek Cypriots are trying to do in Pyla. In order to approve, he added, the last part of the road from Arsus to Pyla - there are 3 km left, he said, to be paved - the Greek Cypriots are asking for the hill to the north of the villages, within the buffer zone, to be inhabited by Greek Cypriots again. Noting that south of Pyla, towards Larnaca, all plots have been given only to Greek Cypriots, he said that, "Now they want to settle them next to the road we are making. We are not going to accept this."
"I will say it again," Tatar said, addressing President Christodoulides, "The issue of the crossing points in Mia Milia and Louroujina cannot be linked to Pyla. They are different issues. To open this road (Arsus - Pyla) is our most natural right." He reiterated again that the Greek Cypriots constructed a university, a road, and other buildings in the buffer zone in the Pyla area. And this is an injustice to the Turkish Cypriots, he added.
Asked when the next meeting of the two leaders would be, Tatar said the two negotiators were meeting. "Let them meet to see what issues will be discussed" in the leaders' meeting.
Asked about DiCarlo's meeting, Ersin Tatar said the aim is to prepare for the informal multilateral meeting to be held in Mario, which he described as an opportunity to explain his positions.
Tatar reiterated that he wants a two-state solution and that the essence of the issue is sovereignty. "You are sovereign and I am sovereign. Our sovereignty is not a matter of negotiation. The trnc can find its place as two states under the EU umbrella," he argued.
