The media have it wrong

President Christofias promises to work towards a solution decisively and seriously, while at the same time showing flexibility. He was speaking to reporters on his arrival in New York where he will attend the UN General Assembly. He is due to meet with the UN Secretary-General later today.


Makarios Droushiotis writing in Politis describes the state of the rejectionist front. He says that although there are attempts to recreate the fear in society that existed in 2004 and prevent Christofias from reaching an agreement with Talat, these are isolated efforts by individuals and not the concerted effort which they would like to give the impression exists. Although they receive considerable press coverage, they lack the other two factors that so helped them in 2004 - being in government and being in control of the Cyprus problem. He goes on to name the various individuals concerned within each party and concludes by saying that the black picture that all is not well at the talks that the media have created is far from the truth. On the contrary, the UN's evaluation is positive and don't see any deadlock on the horizon. The writer quotes a well-informed source as saying that the real picture is as follows:
- for the first time we have two leaders who both want a solution
- the atmosphere is friendly, although there are moments of tension, which is beneficial, as it shows that real negotiations are taking place.
- the UN is convinced that the two negotiators are thinking only of finding a solution and none is willing to leave the room
- the debate on "virgin birth" and "permanent derogations" is not a problem, as made out by the media. The UN have made it clear that any derogations can only be temporary and will last less time than in 2004
- the UN doesn't care what each side wants, but what they are prepared to accept. And they have no other choice but to agree.
- the procedure is slow but much faster than in 2004, when they didn't agree on anything
- the question of arbitration does not arise, because negotiations are being held in good faith. The UN will not impose solutions to deadlocks but will contribute at a later stage with ideas
- there is a deadline in reality, and the leaders know it. Their time will run out at the end of 2009
- the aim is to reach agreement before the european parliament elections (6/2009) but it might drag out till the fall
- the issues of territory and property are the thorniest questions. Security and guarantees are not as tough as they seem, nor is the question of the settlers
- the trend on the part of the media to create a negative climate is worrying, but it is difficult to see how the hysteria of 2004 can be repeated without the government's help

The Cyprus Mail on its front page today says that the doomsayers were out in force after the Christofias and Talat 's meeting on Thursday. "Newspapers scream deadlock, but where's the proof?" its headline asks. Friday’s front-page headline in right-wing Simerini screamed “Doomed” with a subhead saying the talks were going nowhere. Phileleftheros had a less dramatic headline but the implication was similar: “They want their own state….and more.” Phileleftheros accused Talat of being negative, promoting separation and seeking powerful state powers. On the Turkish Cypriot side there were also mixed interpretations by newspapers from negative to neutral but not necessarily positive. Kibris said: “Tension in statements” and referred to “sarcastic statements” by the leaders. “There is no progress,” said Vatan and Afrika with almost identical headlines, “Who is telling the truth?” said Halkin Sesi. “Christofias: ‘Talat acts in a double-faced manner’. Talat: ‘Let Christofias look in the mirror’,” said Ortam.

The paper quotes a source close to the talks as saying: “It’s all par for the course”. The source said there could be a number of reasons why some newspapers had decided to view the process so far in a negative light. One was the well-known existence of factions who do not want a solution. And the closer it seemed to a solution being found, the louder they became. Those who are looking positively at the situation and know the Cyprus issue well, will realise that the absence of a deadlock is actually progress. A lot of it is just posturing, the source said. “The two leaders are talking seriously and are committed but they still continue to play to their respective public and pander to certain factions. They are politicians,” he said.“This was only the second meeting of substantive talks and they have covered a lot of ground. The meetings have been long and they have not agreed on everything but they have not been acrimonious,” the source added. He said it was all being done in a very businesslike way. He said there were people on both sides that did not want solution. “And it’s only going to get worse,” he said. “If they see more traction, the criticism and attacks will worsen.”

Loucas Charalambous writing in Politis and the Mail says "these ridiculous media negotiations" have to stop and calls on Christofias and Talat to stop making public statements every day and focus on seeing whether we could, at long last, reach an agreement. The two leaders must get serious. They must realise that they cannot be conducting two sets of negotiations simultaneously – a real one at the negotiating table and a populist one through the media because they feel obliged to keep happy rival political leaders. Christofias had been trying to reassure Garoyian, Koutsou and Omirou while Talat has been thinking too much about Ertugruloglu, Eroglu and Denktash. It is a recipe for failure. If they carry on this way, before long they will become prisoners of their own unnecessary public declarations and at some point will become “obliged to fail” at the negotiating table in order to stay true to their sloganeering during the ‘media negotiations’. Christofias in particular needs to understand that he cannot have his cake and eat it. It is impossible to arrive at a deal with Talat and keep Garoyian, Omirou and Koutsou happy at the same time. The people voted for him and not the Garoyian/Koutsou/Omirou candidates in the elections. He should therefore focus on fulfilling the promise of a settlement and forget the defeated demagogues.