President says Turkish troops will be on island in perpetuity and proposed terms of rotating presidency are unacceptable

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

The Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, appears to have thrown an obstacle in the path to a Cyprus peace settlement, saying Turkish troops will be on the island in perpetuity.



Speaking after talks in Geneva were adjourned, Erdoğan also said on Friday that the envisaged terms of a rotating presidency for a unified island were unacceptable. The terms were a cornerstone of planned new governance arrangements.

The remarks, taken at face value, suggest UN peace efforts have probably not got as close to a deal as the UN sought to suggest at the end of the four days of talks on Thursday.

The conference ended with an agreement that officials would restart detailed talks on 18 January. No date was set for a further meeting at the political level.

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A peace settlement for the island, divided since 1974, would need a new form of security guarantee, and Greek Cypriots are demanding a timetable for the removal of 30,000 Turkish troops.

On Friday the Cypriot president, Nicos Anastasiades, reiterated that demand, saying: “Our position remains … that we must agree on the withdrawal of the Turkish army.”

But Erdoğan had a very different message. “We have told Cyprus and Greece clearly that they should not expect a solution without Turkey as guarantor,” he said. “We are going to be there forever.”

In a sign of flexibility, he later added that Turkish troops would be on the island for as long as Greek troops were present. One proposal discussed in Geneva has been for an entirely demilitarised island.

The fact that the conference for the first time dealt with the issue of guarantees, seen as the most difficult issue facing the negotiators, is regarded as progress in the intractable dispute.

At present the three security guarantors are Turkey, Greece and the UK, as the former colonial power. A UN force is on on the island on the buffer zone to prevent a return to inter-communal violence.

Turkish officials released remarks by the foreign minister, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, to the conference insisting Turkey was not willing to abandon its security role.

Çavuşoğlu reportedly told the closed-door session in Geneva: “Taking into consideration the current situation in our region, the continuation of the security and guarantees system, which has been the solid basis of the 43-year-long security and stability on the island, is a necessity”.

Some argue Erdoğan cannot afford to compromise on the issue of Turkish troops while he isbattling with his parliament to secure majority support for an executive presidency, his chief political goal at present. Votes are going his way in the parliament by relatively narrow margins.

Greece put forward a variety of plans for a new security guarantee, including looking at the model of German troops after the withdrawal of Russia from East Germany.

Cyprus peace talks – all you need to know Read more

Britain retains military bases in Cyprus that are sovereign British territory, but it has offered to give up nearly half of its land as part of a final settlement.

Anastasiades sought to put a more optimistic gloss on the talks, saying: “The working groups had a mandate to process new forms [of guarantees], acceptable and radically different from the guarantee system of 1960.”

He said the presence of Turkish troops was “a source [of] and maintains instability, which is why the Cyprus problem has been open 43 years. But what one should focus on is that we are discussing ways to find a solution which will reflect the security concerns of all Cypriots.”

Turkey’s participation in the talks showed it was prepared to cooperate, he added. “It’s not a question of hope. While the dialogue is alive and steps are taken which allow a dialogue, I live in hope,” he said.

Any deal would need to be approved by referendums in both the Turkish-dominated north and the Greek-controlled south.</s>President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan asserted on Friday that Turkish soldiers will remain present in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC) no matter what. Speaking to reporters after Friday prayer, Erdoğan said that the KKTC has been putting in sincere efforts, while the Greek Cyprus side has been making new and different requests. Rebuffing talks that Turkish soldiers could leave the Turkish Cyprus side, Erdoğan said that it would never take place. Greek Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades said Friday that Turkish troops must leave the island. "Our position remains... that we must agree on the withdrawal of the Turkish army," he told reporters in Geneva.

 

 The president asserted that a peaceful and fair solution to the terms of presidency would be one term for the Turkish Cyprus side and two for the Greek Cyprus side.

 

 As the first round of the Cyprus Reunification talks in Geneva came to an end on Thursday, the Turkish and Greek Cypriot sides decided to continue discussions as both parties agreed a permanent solution to the issue was required.

 

 Meanwhile, Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu on Thursday said the Cyprus reunification talks would continue with technical discussions with a working group at the deputy level from Jan. 18, followed by ministers and then a prime ministerial level meeting.

 

 He, however, confirmed that "there was no consensus among sides on when to hold the next Cyprus conference at the ministerial level."

 

 The Conference on Cyprus convened Thursday under the auspices of the Secretary-General of the U.N., with the participation of the presidents of Greek Cyprus and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC), as well as the foreign ministers of Greece, Turkey and the U.K., the three guarantor powers and in the presence of the EU as an observer.

 

 "This is the first time that brought all together to discuss the chapter of security and guarantees, the sixth and last chapter of the negotiations," the U.N. said in a statement following the conference.

 

 "The participants recognized that this is the time to bring the negotiations to a successful conclusion. This is a historic opportunity that should not be missed. The participants therefore committed to supporting the process towards a comprehensive settlement in Cyprus. The common objectives outlined above will require concerted efforts by all concerned over the course of the next days," the U.N. said.

 

 Foreign Minister Çavuşoğlu said, "We wanted the working group at the level of deputies to meet as soon as possible but the Greek side requested more time."

 

 "We do not want to have an open-ended process," he added, "We clearly pointed out the position on the issues of security and guarantees. Our position fits with the position of Turkish Cypriots," Çavuşoğlu said.

 

 "We believe that a solution on Cyprus issue will create new cooperation and trust in the East Mediterranean. It will be a win-win situation for everyone," he said.

 

 "It is a fact that Turkey's guarantor power is highly important for the Turkish Cypriots," he stressed, adding that the presence of Turkish army in the island will be continued and it is something the Turkish Cypriot community wants.

 

 Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Tuğrul Türkeş contended that Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras had put forward a condition that all guarantees be lifted, which is why "the level of attendance remained low."

 

 Turkish Cypriot President Mustafa Akıncı and Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades, Turkish Foreign Minister Çavuşoğlu, the U.K.'s Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias all attended the latest round of the conference, along with the EU Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.

 

 U.N. envoy on Cyprus, Espen Barth Eide, who talked to the media after the high-level meetings, described the preceding three days of talks by the two Cypriot sides as "on track."

 

 Turkish and Greek Cypriots exchanged maps on proposed territorial boundaries Wednesday and the documents were sealed in a U.N. vault.

 

 Reunification talks resumed last May with both sides repeatedly expressing optimism over a possible solution.

 

 Once a final agreement is reached, it would be put up for a referendum to be voted on by the two Cypriot communities.

 

 Akıncı has said a reunification vote could be held in mid-2017, if an agreement is indeed reached in Geneva.</s>GENEVA: Hopes for a peace deal in Cyprus stalled on Friday over a decades-old dispute, with the rival sides at loggerheads over the future of Turkish troops on the divided island.

A week of UN-brokered talks in Geneva between Greek Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci sparked optimism that an agreement to reunify the island could be at hand.

But any settlement will require an agreement on Cyprus’s future security, with key players Greece, Turkey and former colonial power Britain needing to sign on.

The eastern Mediterranean island has been divided since 1974, when Turkish troops invaded in response to an Athens-inspired coup seeking union with Greece.

And a key sticking point remains the presence of some 30,000 Turkish troops in the north of the island.

Ankara and Akinci have insisted that some Turkish military presence is essential for Turkish Cypriots to feel safe in a prospective united country.

Anastasiades on Friday restated his position that a timeline must be agreed for those troops to eventually withdraw.

And Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias said there can be no solution to the four-decade division of Cyprus while Turkish “occupation” troops remain.

“A just solution (to division) means, first of all, eliminating what caused it, namely the occupation and presence of occupation forces,” Kotzias said, according to a ministry statement as he left Geneva.

But Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared that a full withdrawal of Turkish troops from northern Cyprus was “out of the question”.

He said in televised remarks that Athens and Greek Cypriots still have “different expectations” from their Turkish and Turkish Cypriot counterparts on resolving the Cyprus problem.

UN envoy Espen Barth Eide cautioned that discussions on security had just begun and that the subject was “emotional” for all sides.

He insisted that efforts to end one of the world’s longest running political crises would not be derailed over a temporary war of words.

Despite the roadblocks ahead, Anastasiades said the two sides were “on a path that creates hope” and that compromise was key.

“A solution cannot create winners and leave losers (in its wake). If we want it to be viable and durable, all must understand, Greek and Turkish Cypriots alike, that a fine balance must be struck,” he told reporters in Geneva.

Earlier in the week, the rival sides tackled thorny domestic questions like the composition of a unified government and land swaps.

In another first, they exchanged maps late Wednesday detailing their visions of how internal boundaries should be redrawn.

Turkish Cypriot leaders have agreed in principle to return some of the land they have controlled since the failed 1974 coup.

The Greek Cypriot government said that the maps met the terms agreed during previous negotiations that foresees the Turkish Cypriot zone amounting to a maximum of 29.2 percent of the island, although disputes remain and a final version has not been agreed.

New UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, who hosted the conference in Geneva on his first foreign trip at the helm of the world body, said a final deal was “close” but warned against expecting a “quick fix”.

Cyprus talks stumble over fate of Turkish troops was posted in World of TheNews International - https://www.thenews.com.pk on January 14, 2017 and was last updated on January 14, 2017. This news story is related to Print/178967-Cyprus-talks-stumble-over-fate-of-Turkish-troops/ - breaking news, latest news, pakistan ne. Permanent link to the news story "Cyprus talks stumble over fate of Turkish troops" is https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/178967-Cyprus-talks-stumble-over-fate-of-Turkish-troops.</s>Greece urges Turkish troops to leave Cyprus, while Ankara insists full pull-out of its troops is "out of the question".

Hopes for a peace deal in Cyprus stalled on Friday over a decades-old dispute, with the rival sides at loggerheads over the future of Turkish troops on the divided island.

The Greek foreign minister denounced the continued presence of Turkish troops in northern Cyprus after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said a full pull-out was "out of the question".

Nikos Kotzias said there can be no end to the four-decade division of Cyprus while 30,000 Turkish "occupation" troops remain on the ground.

"A just solution [to division] means, first of all, eliminating what caused it, namely the occupation and presence of occupation forces," he said in a ministry statement on Friday as he left Geneva.

In a televised appearance on Friday, Erdogan said that Turkey must remain guarantor to Cyprus, even if a deal to reunify the island that runs through both Turkish and Greek lines is made.

He added that a full withdrawal of troops could only be possible if Greece, which deploys a troop contingent, did the same.

Erdogan also indicated that there were significant differences on the issue of a rotating presidency for any future bizonal united Cyprus divided between Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot entities.

He said that according to previous talks, a fair presidential rotation between Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots should be implemented, which included two terms for the Greek side, for every term granted to the Turkish side. 



"That is fair. If we want a fair and comprehensive peace then this is the way to do it," he said.

The comments were made a day after the week-long United Nations-backed peace talks in Geneva, which raised hope that an agreement on reunifying the island can be reached.

READ MORE: UN's Guterres - No 'quick fix' in talks to unite Cyprus

Negotiations between Greek Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci aiming to forge a united, two-zone federation in the eastern Mediterranean island, were accompanied by top officials from Cyprus’ guarantor powers: Greece, Turkey and former colonial ruler Britain.

Akinci has insisted that some Turkish military presence is essential for Turkish Cypriots to feel secure in a prospective united country, despite Anastasiades position that a timeline must be agreed on for those troops to eventually withdraw.

"Our position remains ... that we must agree on the withdrawal of the Turkish army," Anastasiades said on Friday.

Anastasiades nevertheless said the talks in Geneva had raised hopes that a deal can in fact be struck since guarantor powers broached security matters for the first time.



"We are on a path that creates hope," he said.

The island was divided after a 1974 invasion by Turkish troops, which came in response to an Athens-inspired coup seeking union with Greece.

Cyprus is home to about 800,000 Greek Cypriots and 220,000 Turkish Cypriots. The 1974 invasion, along with intercommunal violence that took place in the 1960s, displaced a total of about 200,000 Greek and Turkish Cypriots.</s>Maps on territorial claims are exchanged in Geneva, as UN chief travels there to attend peace talks.

Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders have exchanged maps outlining rival territorial proposals in a development that increased hopes for a solution to the Cyprus dispute.

Presented, submitted and then sealed in a UN vault in Geneva on Wednesday, the territorial adjustments could form an integral part of solving a decades-old conflict that has kept Greece and Turkey at loggerheads and obstructed Turkey's membership bid to the EU.

Turkish Cypriot leaders have agreed in principle to return some of the land they have controlled since a 1974 invasion by Turkish troops, which came in response to a coup by armed Greek Cypriots seeking union with Greece.

"Never before have we had an exchange of maps, or a presentation of maps, created by the delegations themselves," Espen Barth Eide, the UN envoy for Cyprus, said before the handover.

Eide said the talks, aimed at creating a bizonal state with some form of shared central administration, were on track.

"We have dealt with some of the most difficult issues. We have touched upon almost all of them, we have solved many of them and we are close to resolving some other issues," Eide said.

Emotions still run high over issues such as territorial exchange and restoration of property lost on both sides as the island was partitioned amid bloodshed in 1974.

Analysts and diplomats say Greek Cypriot leader and President Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci, two moderates, have a unique opportunity to settle a dispute which has dragged on for decades.

According to Andreas Theophanous, a former advisor to the president of Cyprus in the 1990s, the key to solving the Cyprus question is the stance of Turkey.

"If Turkey respected the independence of Cyprus in the past, we would have made more progress today," he said from Nicosia.

"The issues raised by Ankara and the Turkish Cypriot side make it really hard to reach a solution, issues such as a member of the EU, Cyprus, having security guarantees from Turkey, Turkey not recognising Cyprus as a country and presence Turkish troops on the island."

Turkish analyst Musaffer Senel said from Istanbul that both sides, though they do not often say it publicly, are optimistic about resolving the dispute.

"It is not Ankara or Athens negotiating in Geneva; it is Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders. And the political will of these parties is the most important thing that will bring us to a possible solution," he said.

The foreign ministers of Greece, Turkey and Britain, guarantor powers of Cyprus's independence, were due in Geneva on Thursday to discuss the security parameters of any deal. The new UN chief Antonio Guterres will attend the talks in Geneva on the same day.

Turkey has around 30,000 troops in northern Cyprus. Their presence is strongly contested by the Greek side, which says a deal is not possible without them pulling out.

The Greek Cypriots want the guarantor system dismantled, calling it an anachronism which could keep the island under the perpetual influence of Turkey. Turkish Cypriots, fearful of past experiences since the 1960s when they were targeted by Greek Cypriot nationalists, want Turkish guarantees to continue.

Any adjustment would modify the existing ceasefire boundary splitting Cyprus east to west and decreasing territory under Turkish Cypriot control, which is about 36 percent today.

Past peace negotiations have reached a ballpark range of between 28.2 and 29.2 percent of Cypriot territory remaining under Turkish Cypriot control.

There are about 800,000 Greek Cypriots and 220,000 Turkish Cypriots.

Greek Cypriots want an arrangement which would see the maximum possible number of their internally displaced returning to their homes under Greek Cypriot control.

The 1974 invasion uprooted 165,000 Greek Cypriots, while about 40,000 Turkish Cypriots were displaced in intercommunal violence in the 1960s and a population transfer in 1975.</s>The President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated today that “we have made it clear to Greece and Cyprus that they should not been waiting a solution without Turkey as a guarantor. We will always be there”.

These were the conditions set by Turkey during the negotiations in Geneva about the Cyprus dispute, according to Reuters.

The Turkish media report that there are three main concerns for Turkey:

 – They do not want to talk about even the possibility of the Turkish troops leaving the island.

 – They asked the villages Kokkina and Morfou to be united and to remain under the Turkish-Cypriot control.

 – They want Varosia to be given to the Greek-Cypriot constituent state.

“The Annan Plan is void”, Erdogan added and underlined that if the Turkish forces are to leave the island, the Greek forces must leave as well.

Moreover, regarding the security chapter, he stated that Turkey’s position is that the “Northern Cyprus” and the “Southern Cyrus” will have equal number of forces.</s>"Turkey will remain in Cyprus. For the Turkish military to leave Cyprus is entirely out of the question," Erdogan said in remarks broadcast by Turkey's NTV station.

"Northern Cyprus demonstrates a sincere position at talks. Greece should not expect a solution to the problem of the island without Turkey as a guarantor country," he stressed.

The Cyprus reunification talks with the participation of Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci and President of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades started in Geneva on Monday. On Wednesday, the two sides exchanged maps outlining the areas of control for Greek and Turkish communities.</s>International talks on the reunification of Cyprus, aimed at healing divisions on the Mediterranean Island split along ethnic Greek and Turkish lines for more than four decades have taken a hiatus and are to restart on 18 January.

Discussions between the two opposing sides, led by Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci, look to form a power sharing agreement between the two groups.

However, they face an uphill struggle which looks unlikely to result in reunification in the short term. The leaders are said to be hopeful in reaching an agreement on a referendum question, put to their people. The island as a whole is a presidential republic recognised by the United Nations, while the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is only recognised by Turkey.

Former Norwegian foreign minister, Espen Barth Eide is the current UN envoy to Cyprus, and has said the United Nations would only facilitate, and not arbitrate, talks between Greek and Turkish Cypriots, according to Reuters news agency.

"The leaders are showing a lot of courage, a lot of will," Eide told a news briefing. "It's going to be difficult but not impossible. We are now in the final moment. We are now in the moment of truth," he said.

Where are negotiations now?

The last round of talks in Geneva in November broke down after two days, with both Turkish and Cypriot negotiators blaming each other for the inaction. The Greek Cypriot government said the breakdown in talks was due to the Turkish attitude. The Turkish Cypriot government accused their counterparts of asking too much of their territory.

The broad view, as talks continue, is that some of the territory held by the Turkish side in Cyprus will be ceded to the Greeks. One of the principal sticking points between the two sides for decades has been what land should be handed over.

Who are the opposing sides in the negotiations?

The Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci have been leading recent discussions but Britain, Turkey and Greece all have skin in the game as far as negotiations go.

Since August 1974, the ceasefire line and the UN bufferzone which divides the island has remained in place. Greece and Turkey – the two adversarial nations' embattled in conflict – and Britain are still guarantors in Cyprus' peace talks.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Greek counterpart, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras will both play an active role in the Geneva discussions to lay out their positions.

AP reported that Erdogan, in his most recent pronouncement, says his country must continue to underwrite the security of Cyprus, even if a deal to reunify the island is struck but the island remains divided along ethnic Greek and Turkish lines.

Once populated by Mycenaean Greeks, and also settled by Assyrians, Egyptians and Persians, Cyprus was later conquered by the Ottoman Empire in 1571. It fell under British administration in 1878 and remained under its control until independence in 1960 – from 1925 to 1960, it was a British colony. Greek Cypriots were unhappy with the power gained by the North in the independence deal of 1960-1961. Turkish armed forces invaded Cyprus in July 1974, following a pro-Greek coup on the Island just five days earlier. The coup had been orchestrated by the then military government in power in Athens with the Cypriot National Guard deposing Cyprus' president the Archbishop Makarios IIII. The eventual aim of the Government in Athens was the annexation of Cyprus. 

 The initial Turkish incursion into Cyprus saw the country's military seize 3% of the Island. A second offensive by Turkish forces, following a brief ceasefire, resulted in Turkey occupying 40% of the island and taking over the northern section of the island. The northern part of the island was declared a breakaway state of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in 1983 and there is a large military presence of around 30,000 Turkish troops.</s>Turkey’s president says a full withdrawal of its forces from divided Cyprus is “out of the question” unless Greece also agrees to pull out troops.

Hopes of reunification have been raised after talks between Turkish and Greek Cypriots in Geneva this week.

But a number of stumbling blocks remain, including whether any Turkish troops would stay in northern Cyprus after reunification.

The island’s communities have been split since 1974.

Key obstacles to a deal include the return of property to tens of thousands of Cypriots who fled their homes in 1974, as well as the presence of troops.

Turkey still has 30,000 troops stationed in the island’s north, whose presence Greece opposes. On Friday, Greek Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades reiterated a call for all Turkish troops to leave. Greece is thought to have about 1,000 troops stationed on the island.

Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci said one side demanding that the other remove its troops would rule out a mutually acceptable solution.

On Thursday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu had said discussions were “at a critical juncture” and that technical experts would now hold talks.

The meetings are likely to begin on 18 January, with a focus on thorny security issues, reports say.

Property: What should happen to the properties that Greek Cypriots had to abandon in 1974? Should they get the right to take their old homes back, or be compensated – and if so by how much?

Security: How can the security of the Turkish Cypriots be guaranteed if Turkey’s estimated 30,000 troops leave? Greek Cypriots see them as an occupying force, so should some stay or should Turkey retain the right to intervene? Who would act as a guarantor of the deal? The EU, of which Cyprus is already a member, or the UK, which has two military bases on the island?

Power and the role of the EU: There is talk of a rotating presidency, but how would that work? And could a Turkish Cypriot president really represent the country from time-to-time at EU summits?

Territory: How much more territory should Greek Cypriots gain to reflect the fact that they make up the majority of the island’s population? UN peacekeeping forces estimate that 165,000 Greek Cypriots fled or were expelled from the north, and 45,000 Turkish Cypriots from the south, although the parties to the conflict say the figures are higher.

The end goal is for the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities to share power in a two-state federation.

Any deal would have to win the support of both Cypriot communities in separate referendums.

While diplomats have made positive noises on the progress being made, Mr Erdogan said that Greece and the Cypriot government “still have different expectations” from Turkey.

Another obstacle, he added, was on a possible rotating presidency on Cyprus.

Instead of seeing four Greek Cypriot presidencies for every one by Turkish Cypriots, Mr Erdogan said he wanted a 2:1 balance in Greece’s favour instead.
• 1960 – Independence from British rule leads to power-sharing between Greek Cypriot majority and Turkish Cypriot minority
• 1974 – Cypriot President, Archbishop Makarios, deposed in a coup backed by Greece’s military junta – Turkey sends troops to the island, who then occupy a third of it in the north
• 1983 – Rauf Denktash declares breakaway Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, recognised only by Turkey
• 2004 – Cyprus, still divided, joins the EU, after a UN peace plan was backed by Turkish Cypriots but rejected by Greek Cypriots</s>But a number of stumbling blocks remain, including whether any Turkish troops would stay in northern Cyprus after reunification.

The island's communities have been split since 1974.

Key obstacles to a deal include the return of property to tens of thousands of Cypriots who fled their homes in 1974, as well as the presence of troops.

Turkey still has 30,000 troops stationed in the island's north, whose presence Greece opposes. On Friday, Greek Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades reiterated a call for all Turkish troops to leave. Greece is thought to have about 1,000 troops stationed on the island.

Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci said one side demanding that the other remove its troops would rule out a mutually acceptable solution.

On Thursday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu had said discussions were "at a critical juncture" and that technical experts would now hold talks.

The meetings are likely to begin on 18 January, with a focus on thorny security issues, reports say.

Property: What should happen to the properties that Greek Cypriots had to abandon in 1974? Should they get the right to take their old homes back, or be compensated - and if so by how much?

Security: How can the security of the Turkish Cypriots be guaranteed if Turkey's estimated 30,000 troops leave? Greek Cypriots see them as an occupying force, so should some stay or should Turkey retain the right to intervene? Who would act as a guarantor of the deal? The EU, of which Cyprus is already a member, or the UK, which has two military bases on the island?

Power and the role of the EU: There is talk of a rotating presidency, but how would that work? And could a Turkish Cypriot president really represent the country from time-to-time at EU summits?

Territory: How much more territory should Greek Cypriots gain to reflect the fact that they make up the majority of the island's population? UN peacekeeping forces estimate that 165,000 Greek Cypriots fled or were expelled from the north, and 45,000 Turkish Cypriots from the south, although the parties to the conflict say the figures are higher.

The end goal is for the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities to share power in a two-state federation.

Any deal would have to win the support of both Cypriot communities in separate referendums.

While diplomats have made positive noises on the progress being made, Mr Erdogan said that Greece and the Cypriot government "still have different expectations" from Turkey.

Another obstacle, he added, was on a possible rotating presidency on Cyprus.

Instead of seeing four Greek Cypriot presidencies for every one by Turkish Cypriots, Mr Erdogan said he wanted a 2:1 balance in Greece's favour instead.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan vows that the Turkish Armed Forces will stay on Cyprus "in perpetuity" and that the proposal of a rotating presidency for a unified island is unacceptable, casting doubts on an eventual solution to the dispute. The remarks come as the latest round of unity talks end, with them to restart on January 18.