www.talkcyprus.org

[Xenos 2Fan]

This is part of an article from todays Turkish Daily News.

Report: New proposal from Ankara:

The day after Talat's meeting with Erdoğan, Hürriyet daily reported yesterday in an article written from New York that Ankara has presented a new proposal to U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan to find a resolution to the decades-long Cyprus issue.

According to the report Turkey offered to allow Greek Cypriot ships enter Turkish ports for the first time in 31 years. “Officials highlight that the proposal, which contains reciprocal concessions, is not one sided,” the daily said while also noting that the Turkish Foreign Ministry has not yet confirmed the proposal.

Turkey's permanent representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Baki İlkin, visited Annan at home and presented him with a written proposal to lift restrictions on Greek Cypriot ships, Hürriyet said. Annan informed Ambassador İlkin that he would look into the issue with his political advisers and would subsequently announce their position on the matter, it added.

[respiridus]

Well, from what I've heard, this will be the same old Turkish proposals:

1. We want negotiations to start again under the good offices of the Secretary General of the UN.

2. We are ready to lift trade restrictions against the Republic of Cyprus, provided that the rest of the world does the same for the Turkish Cypriot entity.

The reason for this activity is probably that Ankara wants to relieve pressure from the EU to recognize the Republic of Cyprus and start trading with them.

[Bananiot]

I wouldn't be in a haste to make a judgment. Best to wait until tomorrow. In the meantime, Straw is arriving in our part of the world as an envoy of the SG of the UN, rather than as Foreign Secretary of the UK.