Sunday 22 June 2008

Christofias just wants to be loved

The Sunday Mail's satirical column Coffeeshop says Christofias' honeymoon period is officially over. He has completed more than 100 carefree, fun-days in office, during which everyone at home and abroad laid off him, treating him with the kind of respect usually reserved for Nelson Mandela. He started his term very well, making all the right noises and moves, fooling many people into thinking he had statesmanlike qualities, a myth the international community helped promote by universally welcoming his election and heaping lavish praise on him, simply because he had defeated the Ethnarch. The unearned respect made him buy into the myth that he was a Mandela-type figure who could reunite the country with his charisma and everyone would be eternally grateful to him. It is fast becoming obvious to anyone with half a brain that he is more of a Pandela than a Mandela. Archbishop Chrys was spot-on when he dismissed comrade Pandela as a ‘veteran of populism’ two weeks ago. He was and always will be a shameless populist uttering vacuous, home-spun tales that people want to hear, avoiding tough decisions at all costs and systematically choosing the least painful option. His problem is that he wants to be loved, more than anything else, and it is not enough for him to be loved only by his hairy, bow-legged proletarian followers. He wants to be loved by everyone – the wealthy and the lumpen proles, the nationalists and the yes-voters, vegetarians and meat-eaters, environmentalists and developers. We have seen this street philosophy being implemented in his unpredictable handling of Cyprob. On the one hand he goes and agrees things with Talat that would get the process moving, but as soon as he comes under a little criticism from the hard-line Tassos disciples, he changes his mind and starts inventing differences to win them over. Not even Tassos could have come up with the comrade’s latest condition for a resumption of talks – the need for a ‘common language’ between him and Talat. This is the latest addition to the long list of absurd phrases inspired by the Cyprob on our side. Other phrases in this genre are, ‘a federation with the right content’, ‘a basis for a settlement or a basis for negotiations?’ and my all-time favourite ‘the virgin birth’. UN Undersecretary General Lyn Pascoe was not impressed with presidente Pandela’s idiotic search for a common language during this week’s visit and said so at his news conference, even though it was not picked up by our hacks because he dressed his views in diplomatic lingo. If the comrade understood what Pascoe had said, he would start demanding that the UN mediators adopted the common language as well. The fact is that Pascoe was less critical of Talat, who had turned down his dinner invitation on the grounds that he was sulking about the UN resolution, than with our enlightened leader. Meanwhile Pandela’s criticism of Talat has given the anti-settlement camp an excuse to dismiss him as just another Denktator, as it had done during the Ethnarch’s days. Come to think of it, our presidente is behaving like another Ethnarch himself. Is he a Tassos in sheep’s clothing? Or is he a sheep in Tassos’ clothing whose desire to be loved by everyone forces him to pander to the hard-liners? But if he thinks he is smart enough to solve Cyprob and keep the support of the bash-patriots, then he needs to book an appointment with Dr Mikellides.

Loucas Charalambou writing in the Sunday Mail and Politis says Christofias' desire to keep everyone happy and his irrational decision to try to walk a tightrope between the irresponsible Papadopoulos policy and the pragmatic policy for a solution will lead him to an impasse. His Wednesday statement illustrates this self-entrapment. His attempts to show that he had rid himself of the Annan plan and had remained within the spirit of the July 8 agreement between Papadopoulos and Talat, has led to him now telling us that he would like to “clearly redefine” the basis for a solution. It is crazy to think that 31 years after the Makarios-Denktash agreement, which AKEL had been repeating all these years like a daily prayer, Christofias would now try to redefine the basis for a solution. So, for the last 31 years we had been negotiating without an agreed basis for the settlement? Not even Rauf Denktash has ever come up with such a joke. Christofias’ problem is blatantly obvious. In his efforts to keep on side the leaders of EDEK and DIKO – Omirou and Garoyian respectively – he abandoned AKEL’s policy which consisted of making changes to the Annan plan. Thus he destroyed the only basis that existed and could have been used for the continuation of the negotiations. He now finds himself in the same vacuum occupied by Papadopoulos who took us 30 years back by turning politics into a word-game. In this way he pushed the Turkish side, which had been willing to discuss changes to the Annan plan, to the position it had held before it accepted the plan. If you want to go back 30 years, we will do so as well, the Turks said. And this has led us once again to the well-known, idiotic game with words and slogans, which will never solve the Cyprus problem. Meanwhile, time is running out as we only have the next 10 months to find a settlement. After that, the Turkish Cypriots will start their election campaign, Talat could lose and be replaced and partition will be formalised. If Christofias sincerely wants a settlement, there is only one path he can follow. He should give up the hazardous tightrope walking, sit down with Talat and, using the Annan plan as the basis, try to find a compromise on two basic issues – property and guarantees. Everything else is just a waste of time.

Makarios Droushiotis writing in Politis gives the background to this week’s events around the Cyprus problem. He cites well-informed sources as saying that Lyn Pascoe was furious with the recent shenanigans of the two leaders and at his meeting with the permanent five of the Security Council advised them to stay out of these tactical manoevres in which the Cypriots had become experts over the last few decades. Although he praised them both before leaving for their willingness to go for a solution and was optimistic that “this time we will succeed”, he rejected all the little accusations and counter accusations that had been given publicity in recent days. He said there was progress at the technical committees and working groups, he rejected the idea that the working groups or committees could negotiate certain important aspects of the Cyprus problem, he believes the basic priniciples for a solution can be found within the parametres of the UN, and he criticised the attempt at putting too much meaning into words. Pascoes’s very important views that he made at a news conference before leaving were practically ignored in their entirety by the media. Yet despite the opposite impression that was given, Pascoe got what he wanted out of the two leaders, namely their agreement to direct talks in the summer. Already things have been toned down with milder statements coming from Christofias. All that remains is to find a way to save face as regards the basis for a solution that they can express after their 1 July meeting. As Pascoe explained at his news conference which either the press didn’t attend or didn’t assess accurately, the basis for a solution is there, and is in the body of work that has gone before.

Saturday 21 June 2008

Leaders to meet twice in July

The Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders will meet on July 1, and will probably hold a second meeting within the month, but full-fledged talks are not likely before the autumn , Presidential Commissioner George Iacovou annonced yesterday at a joint news conference with Ozdil Nami, advisor to Talat.

According to the Cyprus Mail, asked when fully-fledged negotiations might start Iacovou said: “The simple answer is, whenever we decide to start.”

“There is no common language between the two communities,” he said. “We are aiming for clarification. I am sorry there seems to be some different opinion on the Turkish Cypriot side but this is why we need to meet and discuss these issues and find a common language." Nami added: "We are working very hard to start full-fledged negotiations. The work of the working groups will be used to start the talks.” Nami also referred to the Annan plan, but Iacovou said it could not go on the table. “The Turkish Cypriot community can if the so wish, present parts of it during negotiations. We are not talking about negotiations now. We feel we need clarifications. There must be no doubt we are working towards a common objective.” They also said further agreements would be announced in the coming days.

The UN Special Representative Taye-Brook Zerihoun said that since the process began in April, over 180 meetings had been held. “Some of the committees and working groups have made more progress than others, but what is important is that the process remains engaged,” he said.The agreements made include putting in place a mechanism that will allow ambulances to cross without delay in emergency situations, issuing road safety leaflets for handing out at crossing points, co-operation on waste issues, the establishment of a joint health committee, and the adoption of joint educational programmes on cultural heritage and the environment.

“You may think six projects is not much for 180 meetings but there is a lot more coming,” said Iacovou. “We wanted to present some of those we have agreed.” Iacovou said the environment committee was working particularly well. “And it shows how sensitive we are becoming on environmental issues and in protecting our joint environment,” he added.“Everyone has put in a lot of long hours and lots of time and energy, and good will, and they have concentrated on the issues, rather than on the political side of things,” Nami added.

He said the agreement on cultural education was important because it would promote respect for the cultural heritage of both the Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots. ‘It’s aimed at the younger generations,” he said. For the moment funding for all of the agreed projects will be borne by both sides.

Thursday 19 June 2008

Pascoe upbeat

The UN Undersecretary General Lynn Pascoe, who left the island yesterday, told a news conference yesterday morning that the advisers to the two leaders, George Iacovou and Ozdil Nami, would be meeting today to set the date for the next meeting of the two leaders. He said it should "come very soon, hopefully next week, schedules permitting and getting things worked out, and I think that is going to happen", but he did not want to predict the outcome with any certainty on his part, the Cyprus Mail reported.

“I think that as nearly as I can tell, of course there are going to be bumps in the road and there will be ups and downs. An issue that has been around this long is inevitably going to have problems arise, but my strong sense is that the overall direction is a very positive one. I remain quite optimistic that the process is moving forward and I think that we will get involved in substantive talks in the not too distant future.”

Pascoe also made an appeal against pessimism, focusing too much on the past, and nitpicking about the wording in various documents on the Cyprus issue.
“The thing that is most amazing to me is that everyone has always a citation. The UN body of work sometimes reminds me a little bit of the Bible: you can reach out and find a citation to prove any point you want to prove and there are whole legions of people who are paid full-time to go in and dig out every little citation they can to prove that they are right and the other side is wrong,” said Pascoe. “By and large that is not a very productive approach. I think it is very important that we not be spending all of our time living in the past, we are talking about building the future. I think this should be said any time you get quoted to you somebody saying ‘oh yeah, look what was said 20 or 15 years ago’. “The question that you should always ask that official is: ‘what are you doing about the future?’, because that is what counts.” The UN envoy said there would always be at least ten reasons why something will not work to every one reason why it will, and despite the doubters, the working groups and technical committees were doing very well. “People say ‘what about Ankara?’, ‘what about this, what about that?’ I mean, there is always reason out there to be pessimistic and frankly there is justification for it… For the number of years, the numbers of efforts and the number of programmes [that have started and failed], it is not surprising that people would be,” Pascoe said.

He said however that he had several extensive discussions with the Turkish government, as well as the Greek government, the EU and others involved in the issue and he detected a very strong desire to move forward in all of those capitals. He added the feeling was that this time it could be done, that he was optimistic, and impressed with the two leaders. “We should not be pessimistic [about] a process if we want it to work,” Pascoe said. “Because if they [Cypriot citizens] don’t believe we are going to make it, we won’t make it”. He did say, however, he was “quite struck” by the leaders’ “very strong dedication and intention” to make the process work, and that he would he returning periodically to help.

Christofias said yesterday he would ask Talat to help redefine the basis on which the Cyprus issue would be solved because he thought the Turkish Cypriot leader had overreacted to the British memorandum and the UN resolution. “It is clear that in a new meeting, my effort will be to clearly redefine the basis on which the Cyprus problem will be solved,” he said. “I see no reason for Mr Talat to react because we are talking about a state with a single sovereignty, citizenship and international personality. This will be clarified so that we have the same prospect before us, speaking the same language.”

The Turkish Cypriot side said yesterday provided that Christofias was committed to the March 21 agreement, there was no obstacle to the immediate resumption of negotiations.

The Cyprus Mail also reports that journalists from state broadcaster CyBC refused to cover the meeting on Tuesday morning between UN Undersecretary General Lynn Pascoe and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat. Patriotism was cited as the reason, according to information obtained by the Cyprus Mail. “It’s not the first time this has happened,” said a source within the corporation. Although they were not aware of Tuesday’s specific incident, the source: “It wouldn’t surprise me”. As the state broadcaster, CyBC regularly broadcasts Turkish programmes for the Turkish Cypriot community. There are also news bulletins in Turkish.
In the absence of representatives from the state broadcaster at Tuesday’s meeting, CyBC’s main news bulletin showed footage obviously obtained from a Turkish channel. There was no logo that showed where the footage came from, but the subtitles underneath the picture were in Turkish. CyBC’s head of news Yiannis Kareklas told the Cyprus Mail on Tuesday he was too busy to give a comment. Yesterday, he did not answer his phone. Similarly CyBC Director General Themis Themistocleous could not be reached for comment either on Tuesday or yesterday.

Moreover, Politis reports that Pascoe did not meet with any objections regarding the appointment of former Australian Foreign Minister, Alexander Downer as the UN Special Envoy to Cyprus. The paper says that Christofias asked the UN's assistance in the inclusion of the terms 'a single sovereignty and a single nationality' as part of the basis of the solution, to which Talat was only willing to give verbal assurances. Mr Pascoe, the paper added, indicated that he believed the two sides were trapped in a game of words and made it clear that unless direct talks start soon the interest of the international community will wane.

Wednesday 18 June 2008

Lyn Pascoe tries to patch things up

UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Mr Lynn Pascoe who is in Cyprus for a one-day visit in order to review progress at the working groups and technical committees and possibly set a date for a new meeting between the leaders, had separate meetings yesterday with Christofias and Talat. Speaking after his one-hour meeting with Christofias, Mr Pascoe said they had had a very constructive discussion on all issues and that they would be seeing each other later at a dinner that evening.

Talat after his meeting with Pascoe said he would not be attending the dinner with the UN envoy, which was to bring the two leaders together informally. Talat had said in an interview in Politis on Sunday that he wanted to discuss with Pascoe the events of recent days so the damage caused could be kept in check. He said he was not against dinner and did not totally exclude a joint meeting with Pascoe and Christofias. “However, there is no usefulness in having a dinner,” he said, adding that the damage had already been done.

The Turkish Cypriot side is upset over the memorandum signed between Nicosia and London, and over the wording of a new UN Security Council resolution on Cyprus.

Government Spokesman Stefanos Stefanou said yesterday it was clearly in the interests of both leaders to get together. “But the most important thing is for the two sides to speak the same language,” he said.

In the Politis interview, Talat called for an immediate start to talks because given the events of the past week (the Anglo-Cypriot memorandum) there was a “strong possibility that the positive atmosphere will come to an end”. “We should not allow this to occur,” Talat added. The Turkish Cypriot leader complained that while he and Christofias had come to an agreement under their joint statement on May 23, the Greek Cypriot side had then gone and made a different agreement with the UK. “Britain has provided gifts to Christofias and has in return sabotaged our agreement and additionally the trust one party had in the other. Britain has for years ensured that Turkish and Greek Cypriots fought with one another to retain its bases within Cyprus. They are now doing the same thing again,” he said. Talat also complained over the UN Security Council resolution last Friday, which he said implied that Turkish Cypriot isolation was an exaggeration.

He also mentioned the concept of the “virgin birth” as a solution. “I did not state that we will ensure that the new state will be born with parthenogenesis as expressed within the Annan plan. This is nonsense. Parthenogenesis has gained content which I had never suggested. And I in all cases will refrain from mentioning of it. This is because the logic which I attempted to express has been distorted,” Talat said. He said his main objective at this moment was to begin negotiations with Christofias. “Despite the events of recent days, we both know we have no other option. We have a chemistry together that I hope can overcome the problems,” Talat said.

Politis says that Mr Pascoe aims to tackle two issues with his visit. He would like to get a firm commitment as to when direct talks would begin and second he wants to sound out the two sides as to the appointment of a new UN Special Envoy to Cyprus.

Pascoe was due to hold a press conference this morning on his talks before leaving the island.

The UN Security Council unanimously adopted on 13.06.2008 Resolution 1818 (2008) on the extension of the UNFICYP mandate for another six months. The resolution reaffirms all its relevant resolutions on Cyprus and urges the parties to build on the present momentum and continue their efforts to identify to the greatest possible extent areas of convergence and disagreement, while preparing options where feasible on the more sensitive elements, and to work to ensure that fully-fledged negotiations can begin expeditiously and smoothly, in line with the agreement of 21 March and the Joint Statement of 23 May. It also calls on the two sides to continue to engage, as a matter of urgency and while respecting UNFICYP’s mandate, in consultations with UNFICYP on the demarcation of the buffer zone, and on the United Nations 1989 aide-memoire, with a view to reaching early agreement on outstanding issues.

The President of the Security Council, Permanent Representative of the US at the UN, expressed the hope that the dialogue between the two sides in Cyprus will result in full-fledged negotiations and a comprehensive and lasting settlement after so many years of division. "Cypriots must determine their own future, and they can count on the support and goodwill of the international community in this effort", he said. "In their May 23 Joint Statement, the leaders themselves sketched a broad outline of a reunited Cyprus. They foresee a partnership, a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation, with two politically equal constituent states sharing one federal government and enjoying one international personality. The United States welcomes this joint vision and is committed to supporting the leaders as they strive to achieve it in the months ahead".

The Cyprus government expressed satisfaction with the resolution. Government Spokesman Stefanos Stefanou said that the resolution reaffirms the basis of the pursued solution for the Cyprus problem, namely, a bizonal bicommunal federation with political equality, as defined by the relevant resolutions of the international organization’s Security Council. “Based on the conviction of the UN Secretary-General, which is also shared by the Security Council, that the responsibility for finding a solution to the Cyprus problem lies, above all, with the Cypriots” he added, “we reiterate our good will and intention to continue working for a solution and for reunification, within the framework of a bizonal, bicommunal federal state with one sovereignty, one citizenship and one international personality, as provided by the High Level Agreements of 1977 and 1979 between the leaders of the two Cypriot communities and the relevant UN Security Council resolutions. Asked to comment on the stance of the US, which, according to press reports, tried, at the last minute, to remove from the resolution reference to a bizonal bicommunal federation, the Spokesman said they were saddened by the stance of the US, because, Turkey and the Turkish Cypriot leadership are encouraged, in this way, to continue making arbitrary interpretations and to insist on unacceptable positions regarding the solution of the Cyprus problem. However, he pointed out that in the end the US voted in favour of the resolution and as a result the decision was unanimous.

Monday 9 June 2008

Britain - Cyprus memorandum

Cyprus and Britain have entered a “new era” in relations after the “frustrating” events of the past, President Christofias said after signing a wide-reaching Memorandum of Understanding with Gordon Brown in London on 5 June.

The Cyprus Main reports that speaking after a meeting at 10 Downing Street, the British Prime Minister pledged to play a “strong and supportive role” in solving the Cyprus problem, while commending the president for his “vision” and “political courage”.

“The President has been instrumental in launching work to reunify Cyprus. He has shown vision and political courage, reaching out to the Turkish Cypriot community and its leader, inspiring hope in Cypriots both sides of the Green Line,” said Brown, promising to fully support the president in achieving a Cypriot-owned solution. “We will do this through thorough engagement with all the parties in the region and beyond,” he said, adding later, “We are ready to play our part in any way.” To demonstrate his commitment to the process, Brown said he was sending his Minister for Europe, Jim Murphy, to Cyprus next month.

For his part, Christofias promised to do his utmost to make the relationship between the two countries “better, closer and more developed”. Christofias noted that the memorandum laid out Britain's commitment to a solution based on existing UN resolutions, where a reunited island would have single sovereignty, international personality and citizenship. The memo's key clauses refer to the UK's obligations emanating from the 1960 Treaties, including its role as a guarantor power, as well as a commitment not to support “any moves towards the partition of the island or the recognition or upgrading of any separate political entity”.

The two leaders were in agreement on the objective of full EU membership for Turkey, on condition that Turkey fulfilled “its outstanding obligations” to EU members; a reference to the Ankara protocol which requires Turkey to open its ports and airports to Cyprus-flagged ships and planes. The two countries pledged to hold regular dialogue and have a six-monthly review of the process.

Christofias also made reference to the British bases, noting that the two leaders agreed to leave the door open for future dialogue on their status. This was confirmed by a clause in the memorandum, stating that the two sides agreed to work together “in a constructive manner on all issues emanating from the Treaty of Establishment”. Overall, the president interpreted the agreement as a pledge by both countries to solve problems that arise and avoid “new misunderstandings” in the future.

Speaking to journalists later, Christofias clarified that: “The existence or demolition of the bases is not on the agenda now. It's something that will be discussed together with Turkish Cypriots as owners, as partners of a united Republic of Cyprus, after the wounds have healed.”

Both leaders pledged to support economic integration of the island based on the April 26, 2004, EU Council conclusions. They also referred to the full application of EU laws in the north based on Protocol 10 of the Accession Treaty. A programme of bilateral co-operation on common interests and priorities was also established, covering a range of issues like education and health, illegal immigration, football hooliganism, economics, commerce and the Olympics. Christofias highlighted the strong ties between the two countries, noting that “half of Cyprus is living in the UK”. Speaking later at the newly-inaugurated Cyprus High Commision, he said: “It's a new page, a turning point”.

The Cyprus Mail reports that the Memorandum marks a real turning point in relations in that there are clauses in the text which effectively guarantee that Turkey's strategic partnership, as it stands, can only go so far in terms of upgrading the “TRNC” and/or orchestrating a “virgin birth”. It's a strong message of reassurance for Cyprus from Britain. It quotes a Cyprus government source as saying “We have changed our language. We no longer talk about Britain exerting pressure. We are looking for Turkey to do what it has to do to join the EU, which is in everyone's interests”. Effectively, the paper adds, following some good PR work, Cyprus is no longer in the corner, taking swipes at the “evil demon”. Instead, a lot of effort has been made by both sides to provide key reassurances about the future of the island while paving the way for a European-style pursuance of loosely-joined common goals.

Memorandum full text:
The memorandum says that a reunited Cyprus will bring an end to conflict in the island and lead to greater prosperity for the people of Cyprus, as well as contribute to the stability of the region and strengthen the EU’s ability to respond to global challenges.The two countries will cooperate in the following areas:
· Both countries commit themselves to working together to reunify the island. The aim is a comprehensive and durable settlement based on a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation and political equality, as defined by the relevant UN resolutions and the principles upon which the EU is founded. This settlement must be based on a single sovereignty, international personality and a single citizenship.
· Both countries support the on-going process under the Good Offices of the Secretary-General, including the move to full negotiations on a date agreed by the two leaders.
· The UK and the Republic of Cyprus will work with the UN, with relevant support from the EU, to ensure a successful conclusion to the on-going process and the achievement of an agreed, negotiated solution, between the two communities, as soon as possible.
· The two countries reiterate their commitment to their respective obligations under the Treaties signed in 1960.
· The UK reiterates its commitment to its obligations as a Guarantor Power. The UK will continue fully to respect existing UN resolutions on Cyprus, including UNSCRs 541 and 550. Therefore the UK will not support any moves towards the partition of the island or the recognition or up-grading of any separate political entity on the island.· In addition, the two countries will continue to work together in a constructive manner on all issues emanating from the Treaty of Establishment.
· The UK and the Republic of Cyprus reaffirm their support for measures aimed at the economic integration of the island in accordance with the 26 of April 2004 EU Council Conclusions and helping to prepare the Turkish Cypriot community for reunification and the full application of the acquis communautaire on the basis of Protocol 10 of the Treaty of Accession.
· The UK commends the measures taken and proposed by the Republic of Cyprus for the benefit of the Turkish Cypriot community. The UK will work with the Republic of Cyprus to help promote further contact between the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities in order to support the reunification of the island.
· The UK recognises the positive proposal made by the Republic of Cyprus towards the establishment of an accreditation process for enabling the Turkish Cypriot higher education institutions to participate in international co-operation programmes.
· The UK undertakes to continue to inform its citizens on the legal situation prevailing in Cyprus regarding the properties issue and relevant ECHR judgments.
· The Republic of Cyprus and the UK will establish a programme of bilateral co-operation on a range of priority issues. It will identify common interests between the two countries, based on the common legal framework, administrative structures, economic complementarity, people-to-people ties and shared strategic interests.
· This co-operation will be developed through exchange of best practice and direct co-operation in specific areas. The sectors to be covered will be identified, developed and adjusted by the diplomatic representatives in London and Nicosia. Initial priorities include:
Education and Health: schools, higher education, technical, vocational education and training; - Police and security issues: organised crime, counter-terrorism, illegal immigration, road safety and football hooliganism;Economic and commercial issues: competitiveness, research and development, financial services, energy and environment.
The Millennium Development Goals: The Republic of Cyprus has today joined the Call to Action. The UK and the Republic of Cyprus strongly support the need for an EU action plan to be agreed at the June Council.
The Olympics: we will work together to identify areas for co-operation as the UK prepares for the 2012 London Olympics.
· The Republic of Cyprus and the UK will establish closer dialogue in Brussels, London and Nicosia on EU issues where they have shared interests (e.g. to promote a more effective social dimension and co-operation on issues such as Justice and Home Affairs (JHA), taxation, budget reform, climate change).
· As the Republic of Cyprus prepares for its EU Presidency in 2012, the UK will offer to share its experience, including through inward secondments.
· The two countries will also hold a regular dialogue on EU/Turkey, where they share the objective of full membership once full conditions have been met. Both countries agree on the need for Turkey to fulfil its outstanding obligations towards all member states in accordance with the Negotiating Framework and the 21st September 2005 EU Declaration. The two countries will pursue dialogue by discussing issues relating to the negotiations at an early stage to clarify and resolve outstanding difficulties.
· This programme of action will be delivered through six-monthly reviews at Ministerial level in Nicosia or London and regular discussions between High Commissions and Governments in capitals. It will also be delivered through contact between Representations in Brussels and New York. The UK and Cyprus will also aim to hold an annual Cyprus/UK Forum to address specific issues of mutual interest.

Monday 2 June 2008

Tassos fighting back

A poll by research and consultancy firm Metron Analysis published yesterday showed that the the new government enjoys a 59.1 per cent support among the population compared with 53.3 per cent for the opposition.The solution of a united Cyprus with the joint leadership of the two communities is preferred by Cyprus society, with 65.4 per cent of those asked in favour and 28 per cent preferring a two-state solution.The view that Demetris Christofias was the last chance for a solution to the Cyprus problem was supported by 53.4 per cent. Christofias topped the popularity polls, coming first with 87.6 per cent, House President Marios Garoyian came second with 62.2 per cent and Disy leader Anastassiades followed with 56.8 per cent.

Akel deputy Nicos Katsourides, commenting on the support for a two-state solution to the Cyprus problem among the population, said this was worrying, but added that in last year’s polls, this percentage was higher. “We need to fight this wrong impression, which some of our fellow Cypriots have that the two-state solution is a viable solution,” said Katsourides.

Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat has said that political equality of the two sides is crucial for the Turkish Cypriots in a new partnership state to be formed in Cyprus. In an exclusive interview with Euronews, Talat explained that it was not numerical equality, but the effective participation in the decision making process which the Turkish Cypriot side is demanding. Asked what were the main obstacles to a political settlement, he said the church and Tassos Papadopoulos whose party is still a coalition partner. “The problem with the Greek Cypriot side is the rejectionist forces”, he said.

Touching upon the property issue, he said there were three options under which it could be solved - compensation, exchange or restitution, all of which would be included in the provisions of any future agreement.

On the presence of Turkish troops on the island, he said that 650 Turkish and 950 Greek soldiers will remain on the island according to the 1960 treaties of guarantee and alliance. “The problem is this: If you go on the streets and ask Turkish Cypriots whether they want Turkish troops to stay or not, 95% of them will approve their presence. Why? Because of mistrust, so the presence of Turkish troops is very crucial and very important for Turkish Cypriots, even if this is a symbolic number”, he added.

Former President Tassos Papadopooulos in an interview in Phileleftheros says he disagrees with the term “joint statement” and says it is more “a political agreement” which reflects the compromise that was made on 23 May. He says, moreover, that Christofias should take steps to correct the omitments that were made. He said Talat got what he wanted through ther term “partnership” and accepted the terms “bizonal, bicommunal federation”. He also said he did not believe that the Turkish side would at a future meeting accept a single sovereignty and citizenship and would ask for concessions contained in the Annan plan. He says he sees hard times ahead if direct talks begin despite insufficient progress in the working groups because that will lead to deadlock and our side getting the blame. He also says Christofias is wrong, the 1960 agreements did not provide for a partnership of states.

Makarios Drousiotis writing in Politis says Tassos is organising a political front in order to undermine the efforts towards a solution of the Cyprus problem. According to reliable sources, he says, the government believes that Tassos’ main aim is to block Christofias and lead his policy on the Cyprus problem to failure in order to prove that his own policy on Cyprus was right and irrespective of the outcome this will have for the country. He says the outcry over the joint statement between Christofias and Talat was the result of a plot hatched by Tassos who wants to put a halt to developments before they can reach direct talks. He has already expressed himself publicly calling it a “step backwards” and has given an interview to a friendly paper published today. Having got over the shock of losing the elections, he is now trying to regain control of developments by accusing Christofias of being conciliatory cultivating fear the same way he did in 2004. His arsenal consists of the return of the Annan bogeyman and the conspiracy theory of foreigners to abolish the Republic of Cyprus. His close circle is already cultivating an unfavourable image of Christofias as being a foreign agent especially of the British. A recent article published in Phileleftheros by G. Eliades, a close friend of Tassos’, compares Christofias to Gorbachev saying that just like he was an agent of the West who wanted to destroy the Soviet Union, so Christofias is an agent of the West who will destroy the Cyprus Republic! In the same vein Archbishop Chrysostomos said over the radio that Christofias is naïve and lacked the legal know-how and was tricked into the joint statement. Basically Tassos is waging a three-pronged campaign a) to control Diko where an intense internal battle is already being fought (recently a non paper criticising Christofias’ handlings was submitted by a party member that had Tassos’ fingerprints all over it) b) to increase his contacts with Edek which is counting on the talks failing in order for them to survive politically, what with EU elections coming up and c) to weaken Anastasiades by breaking up Disy. He has already established good relations with the Archbishop and has approached Kasoulides.The daily paper Machi completely supports him while the attempt to take over Mega TV channel by Lillikas-Nikolas failed at the last minute when the Greek parent company rejected their offer.

The Sunday Mail’s satirical column Coffeeshop says failed presidential candidate Ioannis Kasoulides managed to get back in the news this week by voicing his disagreement with the DISY Fuhrer’s evaluation of the Talat-Christofias agreement as “a step forward”. The mega-ambitious Ioannis, who has not given up his plans to become presidente, is obviously trying to carve out a new political position from which he can mount another challenge for the top post in the future. And failing that, he could always make a challenge for the DISY leadership, hoping that the more hard-line members would back him. Assisting Kas’ metamorphosis into moderate, hardliner is our old friend the Antenna boss Loukis P who has taken the MEP under his wing, presumably on the condition that he embraced the media magnate’s patriotic stance on the Cyprob. On Friday night Antenna was scheduled to broadcast an interview with Kas, but unfortunately I cannot report anything he said, because I found going to bed a much more appealing option. Just a word of advice for Kas – if Loukis P has promised to make you the next presidente, start running. Were the adulatory words Kas wrote for the memorial service of Nicos Sampson last weekend part of the effort to promote his new, hard-line, political persona, was it a genuine expression of his admiration for the man or was he just repeating what Loukis P told him to say? Who would have thought that a man seeking to become presidente was a fan of the guy sentenced to 20 years in prison for his part in the overthrow of the elected presidente. Meanwhile, the column says, Sampson’s family has is suing journalist Makarios Droushiotis for claiming that Sampson was responsible for the murder of a British tourist in 1961. Funnily enough, the allegation was contained in a book that was published while Sampson was still alive but he did not sue. In a country where people go to court for the craziest things, a law-suit for libelling a dead man with a criminal record is perfectly possible. Comrade presidente really confused his comrades on the AKEL central committee when he briefed them about his meeting with Talat and the lack of progress being made at the technical committees and working groups. Christofias painted a very dark picture, informing his comrades that Talat had been totally intransigent at the meeting. Apparently he told his former comrade, that the Turkish Cypriots now had their own ‘state’, which had secured a large degree of recognition and there was no intention of giving it up for the sake of settlement. Not all Central Committee members believed the presidente’s take on the meeting, some of them wondering whether he was preparing the ground to do a Tassos at some point in the future. Nobody knows what Talat told Christofias 10 days ago, but why was the presidente saying one thing to his comrades and another to his subjects?Finally he says the contaminated milk that all the papers have been ranting and raving about in the last couple of days, was the result of our cows eating contaminated feed. No prizes for guessing which newspaper reported that the contaminated fodder “possibly was brought in illegally from the occupied territories”. Simerini, of course, always gets its facts right.