Turkish Cypriot leader rules out prospect of tripartite meeting
Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar on Monday shot down the idea of a tripartite meeting between himself, Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Christodoulides and UN envoy María Angela Holguín.
Following a meeting with Holguín, Tatar lashed out at the authorities of the internationally recognised Republic of Cyprus over recent arrests of individuals suspected of selling Greek Cypriot-owned property in the Turkish-occupied north.
Referring to the arrests as "terrorist activies", Tatar said he had told Holguín during their meeting in Cyprus that "there was no need for a tripartite meeting."
"I said that a meeting with Christodoulides could not be held in such an environment, that there was discomfort on the issue of property, and that it would not be right to create such an environment without resolving these issues,' Tatar told public broadcaster CyBC.
The island nation of Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded following a coup backed by the Greek junta, which aimed at a union with Greece. The Turkish Cypriot declaration of independence in the island's northern third is recognised only by Turkey, which maintains around 35,000 troops there.
The Republic of Cyprus joined the European Union in 2004, but only the Greek Cypriot south, where the island's internationally recognised government is based, enjoys full benefits.
A spate of recent arrests targeted people over the illegal development of property in the north which is owned by Greek Cypriot refugees, who fled south during the 1974 invasion. Two Hungarian nationals were the first to be sentenced to prison over the issue earlier this month.
Tatar asked Holguín to convey his position to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, adding that "All this must stop," as "the real victims are the Turkish Cypriot people."
Christodoulides had met with Holguín on Saturday, after which he indicated the Republic of Cyprus would be "here to respond" in the event of a positive response from Tatar.
Referring to the latter's comments on Monday, the Cypriot president said he was "saddened".
He insisted that the judiciary was responsible for the arrests, saying "the executive authority of does not interfere in the judicial authority under any circumstances."
He also reiterated previous comments that "it would be good for the three of us to sit around a table to discuss and have a free discussion so that we can get closer to the goal of July, so that there are positive developments," adding that he would "definitely" be holding a new meeting with Holguín.
Christodoulides added that Holguín's meetings outside Cyprus and especially Turkey would be "decisive". The UN envoy is also scheduled to visit Greece, the UK and Brussels.
Christodoulides and Tatar last met in Geneva in mid-March, after which a series of modest confidence-building measures were announced.
Guterres announced a similar meeting is to be held at the end of July. He appointed Holguín as his personal envoy on Cyprus in early May. She had previously been in the same role between January and July 2024.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has criticised Israel's plans to take control of Gaza and hold up to 75% of the Strip, stating he "no longer understands" the end goal.
"The Israeli government must not do anything that even its best friends are no longer willing to accept," said Merz at the WDR Europaforum in Berlin on Monday.
"What the Israeli army is now doing in the Gaza Strip, I frankly no longer understand with what goal," he added.
The German chancellor also commented on the fact that Palestinians in the Strip are dependent on international aid deliveries, which Israel had blocked until recently with the argument that Hamas would benefit from them.
"To cause such suffering to the civilian population, as has increasingly been the case in recent days, can no longer be justified by the fight against Hamas terrorism," Merz said.
Merz's words point to a shift in tone in another ally of Israel, after the leaders of France, the United Kingdom and Canada last week condemned what they called Israel's "egregious" military actions in Gaza and warned that they would take "concrete actions" if Netanyahu didn't change course, particularly regarding humanitarian aid.
On Friday, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the trio of being on the "wrong side of history" and siding with Hamas after they all called for an end to Israel's military operation in Gaza and restrictions on the delivery of humanitarian aid.
"When mass murderers, rapists, baby killers and kidnappers thank you, you're on the wrong side of justice, you're on the wrong side of humanity and you're on the wrong side of history," he said in remarks on Friday, name-checking Emmanuel Macron, Keir Starmer and Mark Carney.
"Now, these leaders may think that they're advancing peace, they're not. They're emboldening Hamas to continue fighting forever and they give them hope to establish a second Palestinian state from which Hamas will again seek to destroy the Jewish state - and mind you, it's not going to be a state free of Hamas."
After an almost three-month blockade on all aid entering the Strip, dozens of trucks were allowed to enter Gaza again last week, but the UN said that the amount entering was a "drop in the ocean" compared to what was needed.
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) launched a renewed offensive on Hamas in Gaza, codenamed Operation Gideon's Chariots, in mid-May.
The major ground offensive in northern and southern Gaza is backed by the Israeli air force and aims to expand "operational control" over the Strip and free the remaining hostages still being held by Hamas.
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