Greek Cypriot Leader Sees Talks Stalled until April

Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades said he believes UN-backed talks on reunifying Cyprus will remain stalled until after Turkey's April 16 referendum on presidential powers, in an interview published Friday.

Anastasiades, who heads the island's internationally recognised government, has held 21 months of negotiations with his Turkish Cypriot counterpart Mustafa Akinci that many have seen as the best chance in years for a settlement.

But Akinci this week suspended his participation in the talks in protest at the Cyprus parliament's approval of a law that will see Greek Cypriot schools mark the anniversary of a 1950 referendum in support of union with Greece.

"I hope there are second thoughts from the Turkish Cypriot side and from Turkey, but I don’t expect this to happen before April’s referendum" on expanding the powers of the presidency in Turkey, Anastasiades told the English-language Cyprus Weekly.

"I believe the goal of the Turkish side, especially of President (Recep Tayyip) Erdogan, to achieve a positive result in the referendum becomes a substantial obstacle in the negotiations when it comes to the withdrawal of occupation troops," he said.

Ankara has kept tens of thousands of troops deployed in the north of the island since it invaded in 1974 in response to an Athens-inspired seeking Enosis, or union with Greece.

Their withdrawal in any peace settlement is a key Greek Cypriot demand but is also anathema to Turkish nationalists.

Anastasiades has said the vote by Greek Cypriot MPs on commemorating the Enosis referendum was "untimely" and "unfortunate," but has argued that his Turkish Cypriot counterpart overreacted.

In the newspaper interview, the Greek Cypriot leader said he worried that his personal rapport with Akinci, which has been seen as a principal driver of the talks, was now under threat.

"I never attacked Akinci personally -- we had agreed to maintain a positive climate. But now... they have also embarked on personal attacks and our friendly ties are in jeopardy," Anastasiades said.

"I, personally, don’t hold grudges... And I’m all ready and willing to go back to the negotiating table because my vision is the reunification of my country."