Proceeding towards direct talks

A new UN envoy arrives in Cyprus today. He is Taye -Brook Zerihoun, the UN Secretary-General's new Special Representative in Cyprus. He was most recently the Secretary-General's Principal Deputy Special Representative at the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) and has also been serving as Chief UN Mediator for the Darfur Peace Talks since October 2007.

President Christofias flies to Lima, Peru, tomorrow to take part in the 5th European Union – Latin America and Caribbean Summit, which will be held there on 16 - 17 May.

The Cyprus Mail reports that the T/C side is preparing a formula for the resolution of the refugee property rights. “We are looking at a variety of formulas that we hope both sides can agree to,” Hasan Ercakica, spokesman for Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat told the paper yesterday.

Ercakica’s words came in the wake of statements over the weekend from Talat stating that the property issue was the most “thorny” of all the issues that would need to be solved before an overall solution to the Cyprus problem is found. “It is the most difficult issue because it is one that affects everyone,” Talat said, adding that the problem was further complicated by the fact that properties left behind by refugees from both communities had “changed hands” numerous times since the conflicts that left the island divided along ethnic lines. But despite the complications, Talat said his side “has a formula” and would present it to Greek Cypriot negotiators soon.

Talat’s spokesman spoke of a variety of possible formulas that would seek compromise between Turkish and Greek Cypriot views on the issue. While the Turkish Cypriot side would prefer to see a global exchange of properties between Greek and Turkish Cypriot refugees, the Greek Cypriot side insists that the ownership rights of its refugees are maintained, regardless of whether properties fall under Turkish or Greek Cypriot jurisdiction following a solution.But despite the Turkish Cypriot side’s preferences, Ercakica insisted that whatever was agreed in the end would be a compromise. “We are taking on board the wishes of the Greek Cypriots and are open to criticism,” he said, adding: “If we hit an obstacle, we will look for ways around it.” Ercakica also conceded that the UN’s most recent model for solving the property issue, published in the 2004 Annan plan, was “too complicated”. Indeed, one of the Greek Cypriot side’s chief reasons for rejecting the Annan plan was that it gave only partial right of return to refugees under a system that many said they failed to properly understand. Ercakica says Turkish Cypriot negotiators are currently working to iron out anomalies that would have arisen out from the Annan plan had it been implemented. “You may have had situations where Greek Cypriots were allowed to re-establish ownership of their properties but not be allowed to move back into them. Examples like this are what we are trying to overcome,” the spokesman said.

The Turkish Cypriot leader also said that the overall atmosphere prevailing at the technical and working committees was positive despite certain differences of opinion. Speaking to the Turkish Cypriot news agency, he expressed firm belief in the talks and said negotiations would begin in June if none of the two parties withdrew. "There has never been a greater chance for a solution, " he said.

Asked to comment on Christofias’ statement that the June negotiations could be postponed, Talat said that the initial agreement was that talks would start in June. “There is no need to postpone the talks under the current circumstances. The talks will go ahead as planned unless one of the two sides backs out”.

Talat also said that the Turkish Cypriot side had insisted on bringing the Annan Plan back to the negotiating table but that they had failed to persuade the Greek Cypriots into accepting this. “We have agreed to allow both sides to bring whatever issues they want to the negotiating table”, he added.On the issues of the guarantees, Talat said that this was not a difficult issue for the Turkish Cypriot side as the guarantees were part of international agreements. He said that the Turkish Cypriots did not support the idea of abandoning the guarantees. He did not think that the issues of citizenship and population brought up frequently by the Greek Cypriot side, would become sticking points. He said all issues regarding talks were on the table before the committees and pointed out that they would get together with Christofias and assess the committees' work.

Politis reports that former President Glafcos Clerides in a speech on Sunday said this is possibly the last chance to prevent partition and called on all parties to support President Christofias. He said he hoped that in the few years he had left to live on this planet the day would come when he would see a solution to the Cyprus problem.

The Mail's editorial wonders if Christofias is getting cold feet. We appear to be slipping back into old habits with the media adopting the familiar, negative approach to the peace process and resuming its onslaughts on Mehmet Ali Talat for expressing views the Greek Cypriot leadership does not approve of. What is worrying is that it seems it is the government itself that is the source of press reports that discussions at the technical committees and working groups are not making progress because of the Turkish side’s refusal to engage properly, and that more time was needed for them to complete their work. This message was apparently conveyed by Christofias to the representatives of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council at a meeting last Thursday, in an attempt to gauge their reaction to a possible postponement of the start of substantive talks. Press reports suggest the possibility was ruled out by the ambassadors, who argued that the timeframe should be adhered to so that the interest of the international community could be maintained. No doubt, he will submit the demand for the postponement of direct talks at his meeting with Talat in 10 days. The government appears to have started preparing the ground, on the domestic front, for such a move. Unnamed government sources have been telling newspapers that the Turkish side was determined to go to talks without adequate preparation being done by the working groups and that this insistence by Talat was undermining the peace process. In short, the blame-game has begun, even though the working groups have another four to five weeks in which to complete their work. Christofias had agreed with Talat that direct talks would start in June, irrespective of the progress made by the working groups. So why is Talat being attacked for wanting to follow the agreed timeframe, and why is his insistence seen as an attempt to undermine the process? Is an eagerness to get direct talks under way as soon as possible such a bad thing ? We hope we are wrong, but the impression is that Christofias is getting cold feet and his desire for a settlement is waning. But if he thinks he can abandon the procedure he agreed to and blame Talat for the deadlock by getting the Greek Cypriot media to lambast Turkish intransigence, he is being extremely naïve. He would do well to take into account the evaluation of the situation made by former president Glafcos Clerides on Sunday. “At this moment there is an opportunity, but if it is not taken, there will be partition.” Christofias must leave aside the tactical games and seize it.