Territory: We continue to support the territorial adjustments put forward in the De Cuellar documents (1986) (article 7) and in the Boutros Ghali set of ideas (1992) (article 68) [map in Annex] and in the Annan plan (2004) [map in Annex].
Besides, individual right to property is a basic human right and we do not accept any global arrangement on this.
Taking into account the discussions held about the maps in 2004, the New Cyprus Party demands the following:
a. Work should begin immediately to prepare places for settlement for those who are likely to move due to territorial adjustments on the maps in the regions of Morphou and Mesaria;
b. Linked to this, there should be new employment policies and labour force planning for those who would be displaced after the administrative territorial adjustments;
c. In places where possible (buffer zone, Varosia, Ahna, Maronite villages and the like) the right to return and/or the right to use property should be recognized immediately.
Demilitarization: What is essential is that the Island is completely demilitarized (all foreign soldiers and bases included). The New Cyprus Party continues to support this view.
As it is a reality that demilitarization will occur in a time framework, we demand that deconfrontation and regional demilitarizations should begin immediately. We also support the shortening of the period of demilitarization envisaged in the Annan Plan.
a. Work should begin for the immediate implementation of the demilitarization envisaged in the main articles of the Annan Plan – article 8 (demilitarization)
b. The New Cyprus Party demands the immediate implementation of annex rule article 3 and 4 – ANNEX IV: ANNEX PROTOCOL TO THE TREATY OF ALLIANCE – without waiting for the agreement.
The security system/guarantees: Cyprus has learned a great deal from her sufferings. The fact that Cypriots cannot trust anyone else but themselves for their security is because of their past bitter experiences. For this reason, Cypriots should find methods of providing for their own security without relying on others.
In addition to this, Cyprus is officially a member of the EU since 2004 and belongs to the same family of 500 million people from 27 countries. In this family there are many different problems, but with the experiences of two World Wars the EU has produced methods to solve its problems within itself. Although Germany and France had the Hundred-year war, today they are the two locomotive countries of the EU. Since the EU accepted the Balkans into its expansion geography, the fact that problems are being solved with peaceful means in the last ten years stands as an example of solving hot problems with dialogue.
Under these conditions, the New Cyprus Party believes that a Cyprus which is a member of the European Union has no need for another system of guarantees.
The population from Turkey that will remain in Cyprus: One of the most important problems in the northern part of Cyprus is population. According to the Geneva Convention the transfer of population to an occupied area from the occupying country is a war crime; that is Turkey has committed and is continuing to commit a war crime. However, 34 years have passed since the occupation and we accept that there is also a humanitarian side of the problem. From this point on, on the condition that a final decision will be taken after the solution, negotiations should continue under the principles agreed earlier concerning the number of those who will be accepted to the citizenship of the Federal Republic of Cyprus and a result should be achieved where Cypriots are not a minority in their own country.
At this point we reiterate the views we shared with the public on many occasions:
a. Under these conditions, until an agreement is reached, only those with the right to Cyprus Republic citizenship under the 1960 constitution should have the right to vote and be voted into office.
b. The solution of the Cyprus problem is possible only through an agreement on federation between the Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots. If more “citizenships” are given to people from Turkey compared to Turkish Cypriots, thus changing the demographics of Cyprus, this would need to be approved by Greek Cypriots which is something they will never accept.
Soldiers and settlers from Turkey are the most difficult parts of a solution and giving new citizenships makes an agreement even more difficult.
All citizenships given to those who were transferred from Turkey after 1974 contrary to international agreements, excluding those that acquired citizenship because of marriage or those who were born from marriages with Cypriots, should be cancelled.
The transfer of population to Cyprus should be stopped and this population should immediately start to be gradually decreased taking into account humanitarian considerations.
c. In addition to this, before any possible solution is voted in a referendum by both communities, we are demanding a simultaneous census on both sides of the island under the auspices of international observers or organizations.
Rotating presidency: The New Cyprus Party supports the system of rotating presidency. However, in order for it to be really functional, we believe that it should be implemented together with the cross-voting system.
In order for the rotating presidential system and the federal parliament to work fully, organizational structures that encompass all Cypriots or political parties of the two federated states should be legally encouraged to work together and legal provisions preventing or making this harder should not be included in the texts of treaties.
Structure of the federal state: The New Cyprus Party demands that the federal state that will be established should have strong central powers, whereas the two wings should have weak powers.
Public services having connections with the outside should have a singular structure; if it is necessary, regional representations and not relations between administrative borders should be established.
Sovereignty: For the New Cyprus Party the Federal Republic of Cyprus has a single sovereignty; the federal government and the federated states exercise their sovereignty by using the powers given to them by the constitution. The federal government has the sovereign right to use powers that are related to international relations (with political equality in mind).
Confidence building measures:
a. Varosia; Famagusta should be reunited: Varosia has been on the table as a confidence building measure since the Denktash-Kyprianou high level agreement (Ten Points Agreement) in 1979. In the 5th article of the ten-point agreement of 1979, the return of Varosia without waiting for an agreement being reached is mentioned. This agreement was referred to again in the report of the European Parliament of July 2008.
We would like to point out that all those who say they support the 1977-79 high level agreements should embrace the agreements as a whole.
Furthermore, in the Annan Plan, in the section “Stage 1- areas to be returned to the Greek Cypriot state after 104 days” there was the topic of returning Erenköy (Gokkina) and Varosia...
Under the light of these facts, it is also acceptable in the shape found in the confidence building measures prepared by the UN Secretary General and presented to the two sides in 1993 and accepted by the parties in opposition, namely, the Turkish Republican Party (CTP), the Communal Liberation Party (TKP), and the New Cyprus Party (YKP). The return of Varosia to its legal owners will help communities economically, socially, and politically.
b. Demilitarized Nicosia: The demilitarization of Nicosia will be the first and an important step for the demilitarization of the whole of Cyprus. The demilitarization of Nicosia will first start the process of uniting the city and then the whole country. The demilitarization of Nicosia will create the opportunity for giving life to hundreds of houses and businesses in the buffer zone. By turning this region into joint working areas, the line that divides Cyprus can be turned into a place which unites the island.
The demilitarization of Cyprus will create a new impetus towards the solution and it will be very useful for creating an environment of trust between the two communities. The demilitarization of Nicosia will be the first concrete step in turning the ‘impossible’ into possibility... For this reason, as we have been saying for more than two years, we say, yes demilitarize Nicosia now, and we reiterate this demand of ours.
What needs to be done urgently on this issue is the restoration of Ermou street which came up when the opening of Ledra checkpoint was being discussed, but later forgotten, and its immediate opening for civilian use.
c. All cities should be demilitarized and military regions should be turned into public green areas;
d. Let Maronites return to their homes right now!: For years, the two dominant communities of Cyprus, the Greek Cypriots and the Turkish Cypriots, have been holding negotiations to solve their problems and have been implementing some confidence building measures through various meetings.However, we should not forget that minorities like Maronites, Armenians, and Latins live on this island, thus, we should formulate policies and solutions that take their demands into consideration; otherwise the multicultural character of the Cypriotness becomes meaningless and loses its value...
The villages of Kormakitis (Kormacit), Karpashia (Karpaşa), As
omatos (Özhan) and Agia Marina (Gürpınar) and the surrounding fields belonging to Maronites should be demilitarized and necessary arrangements should be made for them to return to their pre-1974 areas. This will create a new impetus for the solution of the Cyprus problem and it will bring life to one of the fading colours of Cyprus...
For this reason, the area should be immediately demilitarized allowing the Maronites to return to their homes;
e. Passage points should be opened in areas such as Limniti, Lefka, Derinya, the Famagusta gate in Nicosia for vehicles, and for commercial vehicles at Haspolat (Mia Milia) and bureaucratic procedures should be minimized at checkpoints;
f. Every kind of military ceremonies, military exercises, and all activities outside military camps should be cancelled and a moratorium should be declared on new weapon imports;
g. There should be cooperation in education and concrete work for developing coexistence and the chauvinist elements and practices in education should be removed;
The immediate implementation of all these and similar confidence building measures would not solve the problem, but they are elements that would support the process for a solution and ease the solution of problems and their implementation would contribute significantly towards a solution.
The New Cyprus Party demands the immediate implementation of these measures.