Turkish Cypriot leader calls air link-for-land offer ‘stunt’

By MENELAOS HADJICOSTIS
Associated Press

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — The leader of the breakaway Turkish Cypriot side of ethnically split Cyprus has rejected overtures by Greek Cypriots to reignite peace efforts by offering international air and sea links in exchange for territory. Ersin Tatar on Thursday called the offer a “propaganda stunt” designed to keep his people under their rivals’ thumb. The foreign minister of Cyprus proposed the return of an abandoned suburb to its former Greek Cypriot inhabitants in exchange for allowing an airport in the north to operate international flights under United Nations control and a sea port to run under European Union management. Cyprus has been divided since a 1974 Turkish invasion triggered by a coup aimed at union with Greece.