The efforts to overcome the disagreements on procedural issues must continue
Written statement by Stefanos Stefanou, AKEL C.C. Spokesperson
AKEL C.C. Press Office, 19th May 2017, Nicosia
It will be tragic if, for reasons of procedure, the talks end in a deadlock or collapse. The efforts to overcome the disagreements on procedural issues must continue.
We believe that a way must be found so that we can arrive at an international conference that will have the preconditions to succeed. The International Conference will deal with the international aspect of the Cyprus problem, namely the issue of security, on which Turkey has to submit concrete proposals. We note that Turkey’s positions on this specific issue do not find resonance internationally.
In our view, the creation of pre-conditions to move towards an International Conference that would gather prospects for a successful outcome demands the discussion and achievement of convergences on the important aspects of the internal aspect of the Cyprus problem that are still pending. In the current situation, we believe that our proposal for a cross-discussion of the important outstanding issues as a package and the informal submission of proposals by the two leaders can offer a way out of the procedural disagreement between the two sides.
If negotiations reach a deadlock, it is likely that responsibilities will be sought. The Greek Cypriot side has to protect itself with the handling it will make so that no one can easily apportion responsibilities on it.
