NICOSIA, July 10 (Xinhua) -- Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades on Monday laid the blame on Turkey for the collapse of the UN-mediated reunification talks.
He said the Greek Cypriot side is ready to resume negotiations anytime, provided that Turkey agrees to relinquish vested rights to interfere militarily in Cyprus, accepts a time table to withdraw its occupation troops and also agrees on an effective mechanism to implement an eventual solution.
The negotiations on a Cyprus solution in the Swiss Alpine resort of Crans-Montana ended abruptly in the early morning of July 7, when UN Secretary General declared that the conference, involving Cyprus, its Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders and guarantor powers Britain, Greece and Turkey, could not proceed anymore because of wide gaps between the parties.
He also declared over the entire negotiating process which had been going on, on and off, for over 40 years under the United Nations auspices.
However, Turkey also blamed the Greek Cypriot side and Greece for the collapse of the talks.
Turkey maintains troops on Cyprus since 1974, when Turkey occupied its northern part in a military operation prompted by a Greek-inspired coup.
The United Nations said that negotiations between Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci that lasted more than two years had reached just a step away from a solution.
Turkey said after the collapse of the negotiations that it is not interested any more in seeking a solution within the parameters of the United Nations. Instead, President Tayyip Erdogan said he will seek a solution outside those parameters.
However, Anastasiades said he would never accept to negotiate outside the parameters of the United Nations.
The UN Security Council, in numerous resolutions, has set the framework of a Cyprus solution, which has to be a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation with equal political rights for the two Cypriot communities.
