Deal without rotating presidency out of question, says Turkish Cyprus

NICOSIA

​Turkish Cypriot President Mustafa Akıncı has said his administration cannot put a peace deal that does not contain a rotating presidency to a public vote.

Speaking after an Oct. 13 meeting with his Greek Cypriot counterpart, Nicos Anastasiades, and United Nations special advisor, Espen Barth Eide, as part of the accelerated peace negotiations on the island, Akıncı said any solution must contain a rotating presidency model. 

“We emphasize this whenever the occasion arises. It is not possible to present to the nation an agreement that does not contain the rotating presidency. This is very clear. Such a thing is out of the question,” he added. 

Speaking after another meeting with the same group on Oct. 14, Akıncı said there had been more rapprochement with accelerated talks between the two sides, adding that there were still differences on some points. 

The Eastern Mediterranean island of Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkey partially intervened in the north of the island following a coup that aimed at unification with Greece. 

While peace talks on the island have previously failed to reach a permanent solution to the conflict, negotiations were re-launched under the auspices of the United Nations in May 2015 after Akıncı’s election as the new president of Turkish Cyprus.

Akıncı on Oct. 13 also met the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland, who also met with Anastasiades. 

Following the closed-door meetings, diplomatic sources speaking on condition of anonymity said the ongoing negotiation process in Cyprus dominated Nuland’s two meetings.

After the meeting, Akıncı noted that the U.S. was an important actor that supported a solution of the conflict.