Stalemate
Negotiations between Cypriot President Glafcos Clerides and Turkish-Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash have, so far, failed to produce any progress on the ongoing dispute. Turkish Cypriots insist on a two-state settlement, a fact which leaves no room for reaching a mutually accepted solution to the Cyprus problem. According to an evaluation of the progress of the talks, which was released by the Cypriot president some time ago, Turkish Cypriots will only accept a loose connection at the highest echelon through the creation of a council whose powers have yet to be clearly defined. In truth, the Turkish side is seeking complete separation of the two communities. This is reflected in its demand that, first, no Greek Cypriots be allowed to reside on Turkish-Cypriot territory and vice versa and, second, that the power for granting documents of nationality rest with each state and not with the central administration. In practice, this means that any Turkish settler can become a citizen of the Cypriot Republic. In other words, the Turkish element could well become the majority on the Mediterranean island. Denktash’s proposals on the other issues follow the same logic. Essentially, the only way of breaking the present stalemate would be mediation by the UN secretary. Although it is officially said that there is no specific plan, it is an open secret that Washington has drawn up a series of alternative documents which revolve around a concrete political axis.
