Another meeting

The leaders of the two communities in Cyprus met in Nicosia yesterday under UN auspices starting with an hour and half tête-à-tête. Then, continuing the discussions on the federal executive, They heard from their two representatives on the follow-up meeting that they held on the 16th of October to help explain and clarify positions on the issue. The leaders then took up the issue themselves, and had a constructive exchange of views, and then directed their representatives to carry on these discussions next Thursday. Following that, the leaders had a preliminary discussion on the legislature; these discussions will continue when the two Leaders meet again on the 3rd of November.

The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Cyprus, Taye Brook Zerihoun, described the meeting as a constructive exchange of views. He told reporters afterwards that “there are some issues that cannot be discussed in isolation from other issues, so they have left some of these issues aside. They have asked their representatives to look at some issues, to find bridging ideas. So this is a process that will continue. And I think it’s going well.”

President Christofias the day before yesterday expressed regret at continuing public accusations of the Turkish Cypriot leadership and stressed that he will discuss the various issues at the negotiating table. “It is regrettable that we should have friendly discussions at the meetings and outside the meetings to be accusing each other,” he said, when asked to comment on statements by Mr Talat and Mr Soyer that the Greek Cypriot side has no political will for a solution. Asked to respond to criticism that he has invested too much in his friendship with Mr Talat, Christofias stressed that he opted to invest in friendship rather than enmity or hatred. “It remains to be seen in practice whether either of us will be true to this friendship” he added. He assured that he would not walk out of the talks. Regarding the Greek Cypriot side’s position on the issue of guarantees, he noted that it is unnatural for a modern country to have guarantees or custodians, adding that “the issue is being discussed for 34 years or 30 years at the negotiating table”. Replying to a question on whether the issue of the British Bases would be raised at the talks, the President said that the issue was not on the agenda of the direct talks with Mr Talat. ”

Let us hope that we will be able to reach a solution with Mr Talat to reunite our island, to put an end to the occupation and terminate colonization and let’s leave this issue of the British Bases to be raised in due course by our children” he said. Regarding the role of the EU, President Christofias said that any intervention on behalf of the EU must be based on Protocol 10 and on the principles and values of the European Union. He also noted that he is in continuous contact with EU leaders and the European Commission and Parliament, informing them on the course of the talks. Asked about the significance of his forthcoming meeting to Moscow next month, President Christofias said it was highly significant just like his visit to Beijing. He further noted: “Turkey has unfortunately become a non-permanent member of the Security Council. Closer contact with the Permanent Members of the Security Council is needed”. He added that Russia was one of Cyprus' main and consistent supporters and he will surely build upon the friendship and collaboration between the two countries.Invited to say whether Turkey’s election as a non-permanent Security Council member was considered a huge failure for the Cyprus Government, the President said “all those who write and speak about a huge failure on our part should look more into international relations and stop blaming this Government. The decision by various countries to support Turkey was not made yesterday. It is the work of some years on behalf of Turkey, made with consistency and a lot of expenses, and that is why it has succeeded. I am sorry for that but let’s not blame ourselves. We tried these last months but unfortunately, as we realized, things were already predestined as regards supporting Turkey in its bid to become a non-permanent member of the Security Council”.Asked to say if he thought there was an end and a timeframe to the ongoing direct negotiations for a solution, President Christofias replied negatively and noted: “The talks might end pretty soon if there is mutual understanding and good will from both sides. There might be no conclusion if each side has different and opposing views”. He added that he expected that the international community would make its own assessments at some point but he was making it clear that personally he was not willing to receive pressure. "Those who will put pressure will bring about the opposite effect.”

US Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama last week issued a strong message of support for Cyprus to the Greek American community. The statement said that as US President, Barack Obama will show leadership in seeking to negotiate a political settlement on Cyprus. Furthermore, he conveyed his strong belief that Cyprus should remain a single, sovereign country in which each of the two communities is able to exercise political authority within a bi-zonal, bicommunal federation.

"There must be a just and mutually agreed settlement of difficult issues like property, refugees, land, and security. A negotiated political settlement on Cyprus would end the Turkish occupation of northern Cyprus and repair the island’s tragic division while paving the way to prosperity and peace throughout the entire region. It would also give Cypriots a firm foundation on which to build their future after many years of division and uncertainty. It would help foster better Greek-Turkish relations, strengthen Turkish democracy, reduce the risk of military conflict, and remove a major obstacle to Turkish membership in the EU", he said.