President Ersin Tatar briefed the speaker of parliament and leaders and representatives of political parties with seats in parliament on his latest contacts in New York.

He emphasized once again that all the efforts for an agreement on a federal basis did not yield any result and added that they had voiced their desire in New York to tackle the Cyprus problem on a different basis.

“The Greek Cypriot side is saying they want a bi-communal and bi-zonal federation, but when they say this you can see that they do not want to share the administration or the riches of the island with us on the basis of equality” said Tatar.

Explaining that the main purpose of his New York contacts was to hold a bilateral meeting with the UN secretary General Antonio Guterres, Tatar said that the 6 point proposal they put forward in Switzerland is valid and that this is being continued with the support of Turkey.

He also said that during their contacts in New York they had conveyed to the UN Secretary General their views on bilateral committees and confidence building measures.

He also said that they had requested the UN’s support to intensify the work of the bilateral committees and that the UN had included this in its draft statement.

Noting that they would welcome developments regarding confidence-building measures, Tatar stated that the measures should not fall under the sovereignty of the TRNC.

Explaining that the negotiations process could begin if the realities of the island were taken into consideration, Tatar said that unfortunately the Greek Cypriot side did not want to share the administration and wealth of the island.

“The federation they understand is the continuation of the Republic of Cyprus. It will continue and we will abolish the TRNC and with the constitutional amendment we will supposedly be given certain rights. I cannot say this means equality. Basically, the majority will rule the minority” he said.

Noting that he explained the situation to the UN Secretary General and foreign leaders he met with in New York, Tatar said that they had also grasped the problem.

“As a result a solution has not been found with these parameters for 60 years and the Greek Cypriot side has been accepted as a full member of the European Union. Therefore, we cannot maintain a discussion on the basis of equality at the negotiation table, with their superiority and the advantage they have gained and the injustices carried out against us. If no ground can really be found then the Secretary General should reinstate the post and give his reasons for this” said Tatar.