Erhurman accuses Christodoulides of attempting to sideline UN proposals

Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman has accused President Nikos Christodoulides of bringing his 19 proposals in order to push aside the original seven put forward by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. In an interview with the Turkish newspaper Ozgur Gazete, Erhurman said the seven points remained on the table, and that Christodoulides’ new proposals had never actually been received in writing but were only presented orally by Christodoulides in New York. “I listened to the proposals and took notes, but I did not manage to reach the number 19,” he said. He linked the timing to the approaching end of Guterres’ term, saying that “If you bring back 19 proposals that you haven’t raised in eleven months, then you are trying to make the seven proposals forgotten”. Some of them, including a joint bicommunal visit to Pyla and visits to technical committees, had already been carried out, he said, and could not be considered substantive confidence-building measures. Erhurman welcomed the inclusion in the UN points of citizenship for children of mixed marriages, those being between Turkish Cypriots and Turkish nationals, as well as football matches between children under 15. “It is important to me that the United Nations proposals include for the first time the European citizenship of children from mixed marriages and sports, because now my words have become the words of the United Nations,” he said. Citizenship, he said, was “already a human right” and “could not be traded” in negotiations. On crossing points, he said four options from maps presented in New York remained under discussion, and that he would put forward nothing new until those were settled. “My task now is not to undo what has been agreed, but to negotiate it,” he said. He argued that two of the crossings would serve both communities and the other two would mainly ease travel for Greek Cypriots between Larnaca and Nicosia. “Why should I oppose something that makes life easier for Greek Cypriots?” he said. He doubted that issues such as Varosha and Famagusta port, “discussed for 20 to 25 years could be resolved within two and a half months”. He asserted that the real obstacle was the non-implementation of the EU’s Direct Trade Regulation, and asked whether he must now give something in return for what had been promised. Commenting on her meeting with Erhurman on Wednesday, Holguin said they discussed how to proceed ahead of the leaders’ meeting. It followed her unscheduled meeting on Tuesday with the Turkish ambassador Ali Murat Basceri, to receive a message from Ankara. Explaining the meeting, Holguin said Turkey’s deputy foreign minister had told her a message was being sent through that channel, and that she had conveyed as such to Christodoulides. Government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis expressed “strong dissatisfaction” with the contact, saying such a contact conflicts with UN Security Council Resolution 550.