Akıncı surrenders

Since Mustafa Akıncı became president of Turkish Cyprus, and efforts to find a federal resolution to the Cyprus problem picked up momentum, each time the ship of talks hit the rocks, the Greek Cypriots managed to get something extra to refloat the vessel. Over time, Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Anastasiades has become an expert of caprice, and Akıncı, a perfect henpecked negotiator, giving in, though often with some delay, to every demand of his counterpart for the sake of saving the talks. 

So it happened again… A stern-faced Akıncı told the Turkish Cypriot Parliament last week that he has not agreed to the return of Güzelyurt (Morphou) to Greek Cypriots in exchange of the resumption of talks and a date for a five-party international conference. Yet he was unable to say anything in regards to the future of Güzelyurt, or how far he could walk on the concessions road once the grand give-and-take opens in early January at the third Mont Pelerin talks in Switzerland. 

Almost in the same hours, while talking with selected Greek Cypriot journalists for what was supposed to be a "background briefing," senior aides of Anastasiades were nodding their heads to questions on whether the Greek Cypriot side had agreed to the resumption of talks, a third round of Mont Pelerin talks, and a subsequent international conference in exchange for getting back Morphou.

Still, when Cyprus talks collapsed in November in Mont Pelerin, the Turkish Cypriot side said they were against having further talks on the island on any of the outstanding headings, nor a new round of talks outside the island. Why? Akıncı and his team were saying the two sides have discussed all subjects. They exchanged views and achieved whatever convergences were possible. On those remaining...