Europe

Cyprus: EU opposes peace deal giving Turks key freedoms

Associated Press
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Turkey's Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, left, and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci leave their meeting for the press conference in the Turkish Cypriot breakaway northern part of the divided capital Nicosia, Cyprus, Thursday, March 9, 2017. Yildirim is in the breakaway north part of the island for a one-day visit for talks. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias) (The Associated Press)

A girl hold a Turkish flag as she sit on top of her father as behind seen the posters of the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, left, and Turkey's Prime Minister Binali Yildirim during a rally to shore up support for a 'yes' vote in next month's referendum in Turkey on expanding presidential powers, at a stadium In the Turkish Cypriot breakaway northern part of the divided capital Nicosia in the eastern Mediterranean island of Cyprus, Thursday, March 9, 2017. Turkish officials have said there are as many as 100,000 voters eligible to cast a vote in the April 16 poll in the breakaway Turkish Cypriot north of ethnically divided Cyprus. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias) (The Associated Press)

Supporters of the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan shout slogans as Turkey's Prime Minister Binali Yildirim addresses voters during a rally to shore up support for a 'yes' vote in next month's referendum in Turkey on expanding presidential powers, at a stadium in Nicosia, Cyprus, Thursday, March 9, 2017. Turkish officials have said there are as many as 100,000 voters eligible to cast a vote in the April 16 poll in the breakaway Turkish Cypriot north of ethnically divided Cyprus. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias) (The Associated Press)

Cyprus' president says fellow European Union member states have rejected Turkey's demand that its citizens be granted the freedom to relocate and transfer money, services and goods to the ethnically divided island under any reunification deal.

Nicos Anastasides said Saturday all EU leaders consider it a "bad precedent" for Cyprus or any other country to breach bloc rules and grant such key freedoms to third-country citizens.

Turkey said in January any Cyprus peace deal should incorporate such a condition. That further complicated difficult negotiations that stalled last month amid Turkish Cypriot anger over legislation to commemorate in Greek Cypriot schools a 1950 referendum calling for Cyprus' union with Greece.

A 1974, a Turkish invasion followed a coup by supporters of uniting Cyprus with Greece.