Columnist assesses Plan B of the Turkish side in CyprusWriting in his column in daily Star Kibris (12.05.11), Cem Kar assesses what might happen if no solution is reached in the Cyprus negotiations. Under the title “Plan B”, Kar wonders whether his readers are desperate when they find no answer to some questions, such as what will happen if no result comes out form the ongoing negotiations process in Cyprus, what will happen if the process ends in a negative manner and if this will be the end or a new beginning for the Turkish Cypriots. He recalls statements made on 19 July 2009 to TRT television by the Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Ahmet Davutoglu and notes that Davutoglu said Turkey was not in favor of the continuation of the existing status quo in Cyprus and that either this status quo will change with a solution in the negotiations or the Turkish side will be forced to think of alternative ways.
Kar adds, inter alia, the following:
“?Very well, what are the alternative ways if a solution is not reached? ?According to some sources, two alternatives exist. That is, the alternative ways, to which Mr Davutoglu referred, have been considered. Signals of this were given from time to time either by TRNC officials or Turkish officials, who did not refer to its content but said ‘our Plan B is ready’ (For example, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the TRNC, Huseyin Ozgurgun said our Plan B is ready in case an agreement is not reached, 28 July 2010)?
If you like call it Plan B, or Plan C, D or E, but as I said above, according to some sources, this mad project is the following: The negotiations will continue by keeping alive the current policy and the will for finding a solution. In case the negotiations have a negative result, it will be exhibited that the negotiations came to a dead-end because of the Greek Cypriots. Starting from this point, Ankara will take some measures. The first of these measures is the issue of the army. The Security Forces Command (GKK) will be strengthened. The military forces of the TRNC will be turned into a dissuasive power by the transfer of personnel and possibilities from the Peace Forces Command [Tr. Note: The Turkish occupation army in Cyprus]. The name of the TRNC will be changed into its name in the Annan Plan and will become ‘Cyprus Turkish State’ as it is accepted now at the Islamic Conference Organization. Within this framework, the activities for recognition will continue with great acceleration.
If the efforts within this framework fail, the second part of the plan will be implemented. According to this, Turkey, which continuously faces obstacles in the negotiations with the EU, will come to the stage of taking a decision and freeze its relations with the EU. After all these preparations, Turkey, which continuously has on its agenda the presidential system, will bring its preparation to the final stage and choose the way of a federation with the Cyprus Turkish State as two countries for both the settlement of its own internal problems and the radical solution of the Cyprus problem… This is the information I obtained from the source to which I referred above?”
