Turkey to offer support to process for a Cyprus solution: FM

Turkey will continue offering its support to the negotiation process for an agreement on a Cyprus solution, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said during a visit to the occupied part of the eastern Mediterranean island on Wednesday.

He said after talks with Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci that there are still difficult issues in the negotiations, such as territorial adjustments, security arrangements and the future of properties from which their Greek Cypriot owners were driven out during Turkey's 1974 military action.

Turkey occupied 37.5 percent of the Cyprus territory in reaction to a coup by the military rulers of Greece at the time.

Cavusoglu arrived in the occupied part of Cyprus to inaugurate a program integrating the computer systems of Turkey's foreign ministry and the so-called foreign ministry of a breakaway state which is only recognized by Ankara.

The internationally recognized Cypriot government representing the island in the United Nations and the European Union considers illegal visits by Turkish officials to the occupied part of Cyprus.

Cavusoglu said that issues which defy agreement could be discussed at a five-party conference with the participation of the three guarantor powers of Cyprus -- Britain, Turkey and Greece -- and the Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities.

He said that he has already had talks with his Greek counterpart Nicos Kotzias on pending chapters of the Cyprus problem during a private visit to Crete at the weekend.

Turkey's decisions would be crucial when it comes to the withdrawal of about 43,000 Turkish troops, ceding occupied territory and devising new security arrangements to replace a system of international guarantees which are not acceptable by Greek Cypriots.

Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades, representing the Greek Cypriot community, and Akinci had yet another negotiating session Wednesday -- the third one out of seven meetings they have scheduled until mid-September.

They have agreed on a blackout on news about their talks so as not to prejudice the process.

But as they try to inch closer to an agreement they are faced with increasing opposition and public criticism by nationalist politicians in both communities.

They oppose a solution for their own reasons and are increasing their polemics in a bid to undermine the peace process.

Turkish Cypriot nationalists would like to permanently partition Cyprus and establish their own state or at least a two-state loose federation.

Greek Cypriot nationalists fear that any solution found under the current circumstances would give too much to the Turkish Cypriots in terms of participation in the government, territory and keeping Greek Cypriot properties from which their owners were driven out by the Turkish army.

(APD)