Turkish Cypriot daily Star Kibris (04.07.11) reports that in an interview with Turkish journalist Sefa Karahasan of Turkish Milliyet newspaper, Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu has claimed that everybody’s patience is being exhausted because of the negotiations held for many years in Cyprus and alleged that “the Greek Cypriots are not in a harry, but we want to see our future”.

Eroglu reiterated the allegation that the Turkish side’s target is a solution by the end of this year and argued that the talks will continue for another 50 years with the tempo they are held today. He noted that at Geneva they will tell the UN Secretary-General that they want to see their future. “We have to know what will happen with us”, he said alleging that if Ban Ki-moon says that if the sides reach no result by the end of the year he will make his own decisions, the Greek Cypriot side will be motivated for a solution.

Eroglu reiterated the accusation against the Greek Cypriot side that it implements delaying tactics in the talks and added that the Turkish side expects from the UN to put a time limit to the negotiations on 7 July.

He claimed that the patience of the Greek and Turkish Cypriot “peoples” could not endure the continuation of the negotiations for another 50 years and alleged that the patience of the UN Secretary-General is also being exhausted.

Eroglu also alleged that President Christofias plans the return of Cyprus to the pre-1974 period and “acts as if nothing happened” in the occupied northern part of the island during the past 37 years.

Referring to a previous interview by President Christofias with Milliyet, Eroglu said that President Christofias wants to take Turkey as his interlocutor and recalled that he had suggested a meeting with Prime Minister Erdogan in Istanbul. Eroglu noted that President Christofias’ interlocutor is the Turkish Cypriot side and added: “Does the Greek Prime Minister recognize me and Turkey will recognize Christofias? Christofias insistently wants to meet with Mr Erdogan. This is an incompatibility. On the one hand he says ‘we want a Cypriot solution’ and on the other he wants to meet with Turkey”.

Referring to the expectations regarding Turkey making an opening in Cyprus after the Turkish parliamentary elections, Eroglu said that it is wrong to expect such a move and alleged that the “necessary openings had been made during the discussions for the Annan Plan”. “The Greek Cypriot side should make some openings for an agreement”, he alleged.

Eroglu reiterated the Turkish view that the return of the occupied closed city of Varosha to its legal owners is a part of the comprehensive solution of the Cyprus problem and added: “We have asked the opening of Varosha in return of the transportation embargo, but the Greek Cypriots rejected it”.

Eroglu argued that the Turkish Cypriots are a “people committed to motherland Turkey and the Turkish armed forces, just as they were during the pre-1974 period.”