Cyprus House President: time for Turkey to prove its good will

House President Marios Garoyian has stressed that the Republic of Cyprus will continue to claim, without any discount, the right of the refugees to return to their homes.

Speaking yesterday to Karmi Refugee Association, Garoyian said that the rights of the people of Cyprus are not negotiable, adding that the Association building which he inaugurated on Sunday must serve as a guiding light for the return of every refugee from the Turkish occupied village of Karmi to his home.

“The time of truth has come for the Turkish side, it has to prove its good will for solution in Cyprus. The Turkish Cypriot leader Mr. Talat, in spite of rhetorical attempts to be positive and conciliatory, has put on the negotiating table the well-known Turkish positions, which aim at a two state solution and talks openly about a partnership of two constituent states and Turkish guarantees,” he said.

Talat, he added, “even avoids diligently to talk about the type of a solution that is being sought, as this is defined by UN resolutions”.

The House President pointed out that if Turkey insists on a two state solution or on a confederation, and if it continues to disregard UN resolutions, the High Level Agreements between the two communities, (clinched in the 1970s) and the EU principles and values, the process of the UN-led direct talks will reach a deadlock.

“And of course, the Turkish side will be responsible” for the deadlock, he added.

So far, Turkey has not given any proof that it is working towards this direction, he noted.

Cyprus President Demetris Christofias and Mehmet Ali Talat have been engaged in direct talks for the past two months with a view to finding a negotiated settlement that will reunite the country, which has been divided since the 1974 Turkish invasion.