Turkish Cypriots overwhelmingly opposed to reunification

The results of the poll on “social, economic and political tendencies,” which was conducted last month by the KADEM research company with 1,114 interviewees, were published on Friday in the Kıbrıs newspaper, the Anatolia news agency reported.

Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat and Greek Cypriot leader Dimitris Christofias broke a four-year stalemate on talks in March 2008 and have been engaged in face-to-face negotiations with the goal of reunifying the island. Previous reunification efforts collapsed in 2004 when the Greek Cypriots rejected a settlement blueprint drafted by former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, while the Turkish Cypriots overwhelmingly approved it with 65 percent.

When asked how they would vote if the Annan plan were put to referendum today, only 30.1 percent responded that they would say “yes” to the plan, while 45.1 said they would say “no,” and 20.9 percent said they were “undecided.”

According to the results, the majority doesn’t believe that the ongoing talks will eventually lead to a resolution of the Cyprus issue. Yet, when compared to an earlier survey conducted in January, the number of those feeling that the negotiations are hopeless has decreased, with an increase in those believing that the talks will yield a result.

Sixty-three percent said in the latest KADEM poll that they don’t believe the negotiations between Talat and Christofias will yield a result. The response to the same question stood at 74.5 percent in January. Meanwhile the number of those who believe the talks will yield a result increased from 22.3 percent to 33.4 between January and October.

Nonetheless, the most striking results of the survey were about the expectations of the Turkish Cypriot people concerning the legal status of the KKTC. Accordingly, 77.9 percent would like to see two completely separate states on the island, while 4 percent said they seek a continuation of the current situation. The KKTC is only recognized by Turkey. Meanwhile, 48.5 of respondents said “no” to integration with Turkey, while 42.6 percent favor it.

Cyprus joined the EU as a divided island in May 2004 after the Greek Cypriots in the south rejected the UN reunification plan in twin referendums held in 2004.

Turkey’s refusal to implement a trade pact between Turkey and the EU that requires Ankara to allow Greek Cypriot vessels to use its air and sea ports has already prompted the EU to freeze eight chapters in Turkey’s accession talks, and the bloc may consider fresh sanctions at a summit in December.

Talat: Greek Cyprus’ accession to NATO ‘intolerable’

Meanwhile, Talat said this week that the Turkish Cypriots would oppose a possible Greek Cypriot accession to NATO, in comments on EU criticism last month against Turkey that it is blocking EU-NATO military cooperation due to concerns over Cyprus.

“We know that the EU gives great importance to NATO and that it relies on the general security provided by NATO,” Talat said after meeting with EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn in Brussels on Thursday. “However, nobody should forget that the Turkish Cypriots and Turkey, which supports the Turkish Cypriot side, cannot tolerate the inclusion of the Greek Cypriot army in NATO. It would pose a serious security threat against us. Accepting this would be a kind of suicide.”