Turkish Cypriot push for Swiss type settlement outlined

"THE parameters of a settlement" in Cyprus "are bizonality, bicommunality and the political equality of the two communities," the political adviser to the Turkish Cypriot leader, Mr Rauf Denktash, has told The Irish Times.

In an interview, Mr Ergun Olgun said a settlement has been "denied to the Turkish Cypriots since 1963" when the then Cyprus president, Archbishop Makarios, made an abortive attempt to amend the 1960 constitution to deny the Turkish Cypriots a veto on legislation.

Mr Olgun complained about the economic embargo imposed on his community and castigated statements by Greek Cypriot politicians that all Greek Cypriot refugees should return to their properties in the northern third of the island occupied by the mainland Turkish army in 1974. He accused the Greek Cypriots of maintaining their 1950s ambition of Enosis, to unite the island with Greece. "We have lost confidence in the Greek Cypriots," he said.

The decision by the government of Cyprus to buy Russian S-300 ground to air missiles to defend air and naval bases under construction in Paphos, increased distrust and "endangers the system of guarantees" established at the time of independence, he stated. (Once installed, the missiles would deny Turkey aerial dominance).

Although he abjured war, he warned that if the missiles were brought to the island in 16 months time, he did not rule it out. "What is needed is to transform [military] escalation into a constructive relationship." He suggested such a transformation could begin in a small way with co operative projects to protect the environment, wage war on a citrus worm which is destroying crops or conserve scarce water supplies.

Answering the point that the Greek Cypriots were buying weapons because they felt threatened by the 35,000 Turkish troops on the island, he said: "This is not the way to get the Turkish troops out. The way to get the Turkish troops out is a settlement."

The prerequisite for a settlement, he said, was Greek Cypriot recognition of Turkish Cypriot "sovereignty in the north", which the Greek Cypriots have so far refused to concede. They are unlikely to do so now.

However, if such recognition were extended, Mr Olgun said the two sides could "sit down and negotiate" a federation "based on the Swiss model" which would allow each of the constituents to run its own affairs" and to "give certain powers to the central authority".

He added, darkly: "Now, if we don't do this and we lose more trust and more confidence and we have more and more missiles and more air bases and more sea bases that is where we have full separation. Although we have now a wall dividing us, it will become permanent."