Speaking at a press conference in New York on Friday, President Christofias said that theoretical support of the negotiations by Turkey is not enough. We need concrete policies which will lead us to a real federation; to the evolution of the unitary state to a bizonal, bicommunal, federal state.
Expressing his desire for a speedy solution, as soon as possible, he said that, Turkey is the key to the solution of the Cyprus problem because of the situation on the ground. "There is the occupation, there are the troops, the settlers, and the problems for which Turkey must take the responsibility. Even if myself and Talat decide for the withdrawal of the troops and the demilitarization which would be a great message, it would depend on Turkey to remove the troops as well as the settlers. And I am very sad to say, speaking with Mr. Erdogan about the settlers, he told me “this problem is solved”. How is it solved? “They are all citizens of the Turkish Republic of Cyprus”.
He said he had made a courageous offer to the Turkish Cypriots and to Turkey by accepting that 50,000 settlers remain on the island for humanitarian reasons, as well as the rotation of presidents, but received no response. "I expect a response from the other side. It is not possible to make more concessions without any answer, without any response from the other side".
Asked about whether his statement in his speech before the UN General Assembly that his goal was to restore the sovereignty, territorial integrity, independence and unity of the Republic of Cyprus contradicts his declared agreement with Mr Talat to achieve the goal of a new partnership on the basis of two constituent states, Mr Christofias said it not a contradiction. "What we decided is the transformation, the evolution, of the unitary state of Cyprus to a bizonal, bicommunal federal state. There are no two states now. There is one single state. This is the Republic of Cyprus, according to the international community and the international law".
Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat yesterday met with the UN Secretary General. A UN press release afterwards said the UN SG welcomed Mr. Talat's commitment to achieving a solution to the Cyprus problem and urged the two leaders to stay in the course and seize the critical and historic opportunity presented by their ongoing talks. As the talks entered the second phase, the Secretary-General stressed the importance of compromise based on a sense of historical responsibility and long-term political vision. The Secretary-General reaffirmed the readiness of the UN, particularly through the work of his Special Adviser, Alexander Downer, to continue to do what it can to assist the process.
Moreover, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Mr Lynn Pascoe, speaking yesterday during a press briefing regarding the developments in various regional problems made the following reference to Cyprus:
“I just came two minutes ago, five minutes, back from the back door from a meeting with Mr. Talat on the Cyprus issue. As you know the Secretary-General met with both, President Christofias and Mr. Talat and had very good and energetic discussions with both about how we move this process along faster and get to a conclusion. I think, the UN very much wants to help the two sides on the island to reach their own conclusion and will be their conclusion. But we are going to do everything we can do to help. It’s clear that the matter it’s urgent and we want to push forward. There’s never, I think, except of course with the Annan plan, but there has never been a better chance, a better opportunity for the sides to come together and we are pushing very hard on that issue.”
Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper reported that the Turkish Cypriot leader, Mehmet Ali Talat reacted to President Christofias' speech before the UN General Assembly that the Greek Cypriot side does not accept arbitration and timetables for the solution of the Cyprus problem, by saying that a process without a timetable will have no result and this statement is “negative and a sign of lack of will”.
Moreover, Bayrak television reported that Talat felt Christofias has razed to the ground fundamental principles that the two sides had agreed on through great efforts .
"Christofias said that they were trying to restore the so-called Republic of Cyprus and a federation that consisted of two autonomous regions would be established through the transformation of the so-called Republic. That’s totally the opposite of the principles we had been committed to", Talat added. He said the Turkish side wants neither to establish two autonomous regions, nor to restore the so-called Republic of Cyprus. "Federations do not consist of autonomous regions", he stressed.”
He said that Christofias' views were baseless and meaningless. Mr Talat stressed that the objective of the negotiations being conducted by the two sides on the island was to bring a bi-zonal, bi-communal, federal solution to the Cyprus problem on the basis of political equality.
Mr Talat said that disagreements during the negotiating process arise on points where the Greek Cypriot side submits proposals outside the parameters of the UN and added that this should definitely be prevented. He said that the problem on the property issue, where the most serious impasse is observed, derives from the fact that the Greek Cypriot side is not committed to bi-zonality.
The paper also said that Talat had told a press conference that he had asked Mr Ban Ki-moon for the UN to be involved more actively in the Cyprus problem and bring the negotiations back to the UN parameters when they digress. Mr Talat claimed that the problems which they are experienced in the negotiations are due to the fact that the Greek Cypriot side goes outside the UN parameters. He gave as examples the property issue and the election of the presidency.
Meanwhile Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has told the UN General Assembly that the basis upon which a solution to the Cyprus problem should be built is right here, under the roof of the United Nations, Ankara Anatolia news agency reported.
“If all the parties to the present negotiations were to act constructively, it would be possible to reach a comprehensive solution by the end of 2009. As was the case in 2004, we believe that the UN Secretary-General should play a role in bridging the differences which the parties themselves cannot resolve”, he said.
He added that it should be our common objective to submit the solution to be reached to a referendum in the spring of 2010 at the latest, but that “if a solution cannot be found due to Greek Cypriot intransigence, as was the case in 2004, the normalization of the status of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus will become a necessity which can no longer be delayed”.
He stressed that the negotiations cannot be sustained ad infinitum, that the present window of opportunity cannot remain open forever and that efforts must be deployed for the success of the process.
“I would like to take this opportunity to emphasize once again that a comprehensive solution to be achieved on the basis of established UN parameters, which will secure the founding of a new partnership in Cyprus, will enjoy the open support of Turkey as a guarantor power”, he said.
“A fair and lasting solution in Cyprus will make a major contribution to the transformation of the Eastern Mediterranean into a zone of peace, stability and cooperation. I call upon everyone to do their utmost to help achieve this goal. In the meantime, the Turkish Cypriot side is still subjected to unfair measure of isolation, despite the fact that in 2004 it accepted all the sacrifices that the Annan Plan entailed. It is not fair to expect the Turkish side to pay the price for a lack of solution. The lifting of such restrictions on Turkish Cypriots will not only remove an unjust practice but also accelerate the process of resolution”, he said.
Star Kibris newspaper reported that speaking at a press conference in New York, Erdogan said that the process to try and solve the Cyprus problem has gone on for too long and there are continuously delaying tactics. "We should take a decision to get serious on this job", he said. "During the last year, especially the TRNC president Mehmet Ali Talat and we as guarantor power have said that we will provide every support, as long as we end this job somewhere by the end of this year”.
Moreover, Kibris yesterday disclosed a conversation that Turkish Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan had with President Christofias during which Erdogan had responded to Christofias' call for talks with Ankara by saying: “We are ready for a four party meeting”.
The Government of the Republic of Cyprus in a written reply to Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan's speech at the UN, regrets that the positions he has taken are clearly disconnected, both in letter and spirit, with the ongoing efforts undertaken by the leaders of the two communities in Cyprus.
"What is even more disconcerting is the fact that the Prime Minister of Turkey selectively recalls today his country’s role as guarantor power, only in relation to a so called 'new partnership' in Cyprus, a notion that falls outside the agreed basis upon which the talks are being conducted", the statement says.
It also objects to Erdogan's attempts to introduce elements that are not part of the agreed process, such as arbitration and time tables, which it views as an attempt to alter the nature of the negotiations and would also endanger the end result of that process.
The statement reminds Turkey that its role is to uphold international law and legality and not to call upon the international community to upgrade an illegal entity that has been universally condemned by the UN Security Council itself.
Finally, instead of speaking of the so called isolation of the Turkish-Cypriot community, the Turkish Prime Minister should help the Turkish-Cypriots by allowing the leader of that community to arrive at a solution that would guarantee the legitimate rights of the people of Cyprus, Greek-Cypriots, Turkish-Cypriots, Maronites, Armenians and Latins. The 'isolation' that Mr. Erdogan refers to, is the direct consequence of the ongoing occupation of a substantial part of the Republic of Cyprus by Turkish troops, the statement concludes.
The Sunday Mail’s weekly satirical column Coffeeshop refers to the coverage comrade presidente Christofias visit to New York to attend the UN General Assembly and says the state readio station Trito gave him more mentions than Colonel Gaddafi gets on Libyan state radio. When he is in New York the comrade gets a major ego-boost and suffers serious delusions of grandeur. But even though he thinks he is a great statesman he still speaks with the sophistication of a village mukhtar. His sound-bite, “I am not a plassie (salesman) and I would never sell our country”, perfectly illustrated the point. Despite not being a plassie, he still boasted that he had made “some very generous offers” to the Turkish Cypriots – 20 per cent discount on all electrical appliances they bought in shops in the free areas – which should be appreciated by Turkey and the UN.
Comrade plassie’s activities in the Big Apple consisted of telling people what they should do. He even made a speech giving advice to world leaders on how they should deal with climate change. Sadly, Kyproulla’s environmental policy was “restricted by the Turkish military occupation.”
During his New York meetings, he also had a chance to tell the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon when and where he should arrange to meet him and Talat. The meeting could not take place in New York because he was there as a head of state whereas Talat was not. “I explained to the Secretary General with great objectivity, without fear, but with passion, what is happening at the negotiating table.”
He also had a meeting with Turkish PM Erdogan, during an official lunch, and told him that “Turkey has the key for the Cyprus settlement.” He also told Erdogan that Talat should be helped by Turkey “to change his tune”.
It was always a case of Tofias telling everyone what should happen and what they should do. He was like some emperor issuing instructions. This was because Christofias and his entourage were our only source of information – they were briefing the hacks about the conversations comrade presidente was having. If the people who met Christofias responded to his diktats, it was not reported. The impression was that at all the meetings he spoke while the other person listened and said nothing.
The highlight of his visit was his meeting with British Foreign Secretary David Miliband. As they were preparing to speak to the cameras, the presidente turned round and asked Miliband rhetorically “Who has the key?” Miliband, unaware of our claim about Ankara holding the key to a settlement, replied, in all seriousness: “It must be the head of security.” He obviously thought our man was talking about the key to the UN building.
Tuesday 29 September 2009
Friday 25 September 2009
Christofias at UN General Assembly
President Demetris Christofias yesterday told the UN General Assembly in New York that despite Cyprus’ support for Turkey’s EU accession bid Ankara was not reciprocating.
“This support is not unconditional,” Christofias warned. “Turkey should fulfil its obligations towards the Republic of Cyprus as well as towards the European Union.”
He said Turkey was a “key player” in efforts toward a settlement and expressed his “readiness” to initiate direct dialogue with the Turkish leadership, parallel to negotiations with the Turkish Cypriot leader. He said he was willing to “share ideas about the future, which would greatly enhance the chances of a positive outcome to the negotiations.”
However, he also accused Turkey of seeking a confederal solution on Cyprus, in breach of relevant UN Security Resolutions instead of contributing in a practical way to a solution.
“The success of our efforts for a solution of the problem depends on Turkey’s political will and the policies it implements. It is not enough for the Turkish leadership to publicly state that it supports the negotiating process,” he noted.
Referring to the ongoing talks with the Turkish Cypriots, Christofias said “some progress has been achieved in the negotiations. But not such as to make us confident that we are close to a final solution to the Cyprus problem". He added, however, that he trusted the “sincerity of Mr. Talat’s intentions" but blamed the lack of progress on the Turkish side and its intransigence on a range of issues—the presence of Turkish troops on the island, the illegal possession of properties and the presence of settlers.
“We sincerely hope that during the second round of negotiations, which has just started, there will be a reconsideration of Turkish positions, so that we can, as soon as possible, reach an agreed solution which we can then present to the people in separate simultaneous referenda,” he said.
He said a reunified Cyprus would safeguard the rights of all Cypriots, Greek and Turkish but added that “nevertheless, the rights of our Turkish Cypriot compatriots cannot be implemented at the expense of the rights of the bigger community, which is the Greek-Cypriot community. There must be mutual respect".
“Real political leaders are not the ones who think of the next election but of the next generation. We have the responsibility to work together to achieve a lasting peace in our region,” he concluded.
Earlier, Christofias had held a half-hour meeting with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. Moreover, during a lunch hosted by the UN chief, he had the opportunity to have a “good” discussion with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayip Erdogan, to whom he underlined that Turkey is the key to a solution to the Cyprus issue.
“I told the UN, just as I told Mr. Erdogan, that Turkey is the key to a solution to the Cyprus issue. And that Talat must be helped by Turkey to change his stance. I analysed our positions on the property issue, where there is a difference of views, the positions on the settlers issue, security and governance. And I clearly stated that I have made offers to the Turkish Cypriot community and I am waiting for their response”, he said.
On Tuesday, on the sidelines of the UN High-level Event on Climate-Change, Christofias had inter alia meetings with the President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
Christofias’ next stop is Cuba for talks with the political leadership there. He returns to Cyprus next Wednesday.
Meanwhile in Cyprus, Presidential Commissioner Georgios Iacovou and aide to Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat, Ozdil Nami, met yesterday for 90 minutes to try and iron out differences remaining between the two sides on work on the ‘governance’ chapter . The two discussed the ‘executive’ and how citizens of a united Republic of Cyprus would elect the proposed President and Vice-President. The Greek Cypriot side proposes that the rotating presidency should be voted by direct suffrage while the Turkish Cypriot side prefers the indirect method of voting through the senate. Mr Nami told the Cyprus Mail: “It seems there is potential for convergence. The two sides are not worlds apart on this".
Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis and PASOK leader George Papandreou his main rival in the October 4th elections in Greece, crossed swords in the first live televised debate Monday (September 21st) in which they also criticised each other’s handling of the Cyprus problem.
Mr Papandreou accused the Prime Minister of having missed historic opportunities to solve age-old problems that have plagued the country, to which Mr Karamanlis reacted saying on the contrary he had often shown that he is able to take difficult decisions that upset others. He cited Cyprus as an example saying that his government had allowed the Cypriots to vote as they pleased in the referendum of 2004 against a plan that did not suit them.
“This was in contrast to your stand whereby you insisted on pressurising the Cypriots to vote in favour”, he added.
Mr Papandrou responded by accusing Mr Karamanlis of having been in favour in the Council meeting of the Cypriots voting yes in the referendum but afterwards having stood on the fence. “I was willing to pay the political price, I took a stand”, he said and added that he would fight together with the Cypriot leadership to find a more just solution.
“This support is not unconditional,” Christofias warned. “Turkey should fulfil its obligations towards the Republic of Cyprus as well as towards the European Union.”
He said Turkey was a “key player” in efforts toward a settlement and expressed his “readiness” to initiate direct dialogue with the Turkish leadership, parallel to negotiations with the Turkish Cypriot leader. He said he was willing to “share ideas about the future, which would greatly enhance the chances of a positive outcome to the negotiations.”
However, he also accused Turkey of seeking a confederal solution on Cyprus, in breach of relevant UN Security Resolutions instead of contributing in a practical way to a solution.
“The success of our efforts for a solution of the problem depends on Turkey’s political will and the policies it implements. It is not enough for the Turkish leadership to publicly state that it supports the negotiating process,” he noted.
Referring to the ongoing talks with the Turkish Cypriots, Christofias said “some progress has been achieved in the negotiations. But not such as to make us confident that we are close to a final solution to the Cyprus problem". He added, however, that he trusted the “sincerity of Mr. Talat’s intentions" but blamed the lack of progress on the Turkish side and its intransigence on a range of issues—the presence of Turkish troops on the island, the illegal possession of properties and the presence of settlers.
“We sincerely hope that during the second round of negotiations, which has just started, there will be a reconsideration of Turkish positions, so that we can, as soon as possible, reach an agreed solution which we can then present to the people in separate simultaneous referenda,” he said.
He said a reunified Cyprus would safeguard the rights of all Cypriots, Greek and Turkish but added that “nevertheless, the rights of our Turkish Cypriot compatriots cannot be implemented at the expense of the rights of the bigger community, which is the Greek-Cypriot community. There must be mutual respect".
“Real political leaders are not the ones who think of the next election but of the next generation. We have the responsibility to work together to achieve a lasting peace in our region,” he concluded.
Earlier, Christofias had held a half-hour meeting with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. Moreover, during a lunch hosted by the UN chief, he had the opportunity to have a “good” discussion with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayip Erdogan, to whom he underlined that Turkey is the key to a solution to the Cyprus issue.
“I told the UN, just as I told Mr. Erdogan, that Turkey is the key to a solution to the Cyprus issue. And that Talat must be helped by Turkey to change his stance. I analysed our positions on the property issue, where there is a difference of views, the positions on the settlers issue, security and governance. And I clearly stated that I have made offers to the Turkish Cypriot community and I am waiting for their response”, he said.
On Tuesday, on the sidelines of the UN High-level Event on Climate-Change, Christofias had inter alia meetings with the President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
Christofias’ next stop is Cuba for talks with the political leadership there. He returns to Cyprus next Wednesday.
Meanwhile in Cyprus, Presidential Commissioner Georgios Iacovou and aide to Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat, Ozdil Nami, met yesterday for 90 minutes to try and iron out differences remaining between the two sides on work on the ‘governance’ chapter . The two discussed the ‘executive’ and how citizens of a united Republic of Cyprus would elect the proposed President and Vice-President. The Greek Cypriot side proposes that the rotating presidency should be voted by direct suffrage while the Turkish Cypriot side prefers the indirect method of voting through the senate. Mr Nami told the Cyprus Mail: “It seems there is potential for convergence. The two sides are not worlds apart on this".
Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis and PASOK leader George Papandreou his main rival in the October 4th elections in Greece, crossed swords in the first live televised debate Monday (September 21st) in which they also criticised each other’s handling of the Cyprus problem.
Mr Papandreou accused the Prime Minister of having missed historic opportunities to solve age-old problems that have plagued the country, to which Mr Karamanlis reacted saying on the contrary he had often shown that he is able to take difficult decisions that upset others. He cited Cyprus as an example saying that his government had allowed the Cypriots to vote as they pleased in the referendum of 2004 against a plan that did not suit them.
“This was in contrast to your stand whereby you insisted on pressurising the Cypriots to vote in favour”, he added.
Mr Papandrou responded by accusing Mr Karamanlis of having been in favour in the Council meeting of the Cypriots voting yes in the referendum but afterwards having stood on the fence. “I was willing to pay the political price, I took a stand”, he said and added that he would fight together with the Cypriot leadership to find a more just solution.
Saturday 19 September 2009
Four day long National Council meeting ends
A meeting of the National Council which was held over four days in order to discuss the direct talks between the two community leaders, ended yesterday with a joint resolution confirming the Greek Cypriot side’s basic principles and goals for a solution to the Cyprus problem.
President Christofias and party leaders agreed on the strategies to be followed regarding Turkey’s prospective EU accession, taking its EU evaluation in December into consideration. The Council resolved that if Turkey fails to comply with its obligations towards the EU, specifically those concerning Cyprus, then “it won’t be left unhindered to continue its accession process, without sanctions”.
Government Spokesman Stefanos Stefanou said the Council had reconfirmed its perseverance to find a peaceful solution based on UN resolutions and the High Level agreements of 1977 and 1979 for a bizonal, bicommunal federation with political equality. Such a solution must achieve unity of the country, the people, the institutions and the economy and should comply with international justice, European principles, communal law, as well as human rights’ conventions.
“The United Republic of Cyprus must have just one sovereignty, international personality and citizenship, and must be an evolution of the Cyprus Republic,” said Stefanou. It must also include the departure of the Turkish occupying forces and settlers with ultimate aim Cyprus’ complete demilitarisation and removal of the British bases. The resolution calls for the restoration of the basic freedoms and human rights of all Cypriots, including the refugees’ right to return to their homes and properties. In addition the solution must be a product of agreement between the two leaders and not the result of pressure from the abroad. Only such a solution can be sent to a referendum. Any forms of arbitration or timeframes are excluded.
The Council furthermore supported the positions and efforts by President Christofias in the negotiations’ procedure, for an urgent inventory of the population, properties and land use. It also supports the President’s efforts to achieve a moratorium in the exploitation of refugee properties and to output the so-called citizenship of the pseudostate,” Stefanou explained.
Finally, the resolution “rejects and excludes any form of a solution that will lead to the legalisation of status quo or a solution for two separate states”.It was noted that even though the resolution was commonly agreed on by all parties, there are issues where they maintain they own positions.
The National Council meetings were marred by a number of documents being leaked to the press.
AKEL leader Andros Kyprianou said he was saddened by the fact that some had tried to leak the documents submitted by AKEL at Tuesday’s meeting, and in a distorted manner.“We believe the leaks in the National Council ruin the climate, provoke unnecessary conflict between us and in the end undermine our negotiating capabilities,” he said. DISY leader Nicos Anastassiades was forced to release his party’s documents to the public in a press conference the day before yesterday after confirming that the leaks in the Council were distorting the truth. “When I hear, for example, that DISY proposed to suspend Turkey’s evaluation in December… I am obliged to give a press conference giving the documents verbatim, at least those relating to Turkey’s evaluation,” said Anastassiades. EVROKO leader Demetris Syllouris also revealed he had information that someone had leaked National Council documents to foreign ambassadors and UN officials.
Meanwhile, the leaders of the two communities in Cyprus have decided to increase their meetings at least for October.
President Demetris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat talked for 90 minutes on Thursday, their second meeting inthe second phase of negotiations.
“They plan to meet next on 7 and 8 October and also on 14 and 15 October,” UN special envoy Taye-Brook Zerihoun said after the meeting. “(They) have decided to keep this accelerated pace – to meet at least twice – in the coming month. This is quite positive and they are up-beat about it themselves,” Zerihoun told reporters.
In the meantime representatives and experts from both sides will meet to discuss the proposals submitted by each side on the executive with a view to narrowing differences or coming up with bridging ideas.
Speaking after the meeting, Christofias said they had decided to hand over their “improved” proposals concerning governance to their experts for processing. “There is a change by the Turkish side on the issue of the executive authority,” he clarified.
The Turkish Cypriot side had proposed that the president and vice-president of the new state, created after the problem was resolved, should be voted by the senate. “We have a different view. We want the president and vice president to be voted by the people,” Christofias said. Talat said the proposals were referred to the experts “to try, if possible, to bridge the two.” Christofias also said it was likely that in the next meeting the two leaders would most likely discuss the property issue.
The two men met again on Friday to discuss the bridging proposals on the chapter of governance, specifically the election of the President and Vice-President of the United Republic, which they submitted at their last meeting on September 10.
The UN’s Special Adviser on Cyprus, Alexander Downer, is currently in New York for a series of meetings on Cyprus, though he had to cut back his trip from seven days to two, the reasons for which remain unknown.
Moreover, the Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation has reported that the re-elected European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso is likely to appoint Leopold Maurer to follow the talks to ensure that any solution remains in line with the EU acquis communautaire. The unconfirmed reports said Maurer was most likely chosen for his in-depth knowledge of Cyprus, having represented the EU during accession negotiations with Cyprus before its 2004 membership.
President Christofias and party leaders agreed on the strategies to be followed regarding Turkey’s prospective EU accession, taking its EU evaluation in December into consideration. The Council resolved that if Turkey fails to comply with its obligations towards the EU, specifically those concerning Cyprus, then “it won’t be left unhindered to continue its accession process, without sanctions”.
Government Spokesman Stefanos Stefanou said the Council had reconfirmed its perseverance to find a peaceful solution based on UN resolutions and the High Level agreements of 1977 and 1979 for a bizonal, bicommunal federation with political equality. Such a solution must achieve unity of the country, the people, the institutions and the economy and should comply with international justice, European principles, communal law, as well as human rights’ conventions.
“The United Republic of Cyprus must have just one sovereignty, international personality and citizenship, and must be an evolution of the Cyprus Republic,” said Stefanou. It must also include the departure of the Turkish occupying forces and settlers with ultimate aim Cyprus’ complete demilitarisation and removal of the British bases. The resolution calls for the restoration of the basic freedoms and human rights of all Cypriots, including the refugees’ right to return to their homes and properties. In addition the solution must be a product of agreement between the two leaders and not the result of pressure from the abroad. Only such a solution can be sent to a referendum. Any forms of arbitration or timeframes are excluded.
The Council furthermore supported the positions and efforts by President Christofias in the negotiations’ procedure, for an urgent inventory of the population, properties and land use. It also supports the President’s efforts to achieve a moratorium in the exploitation of refugee properties and to output the so-called citizenship of the pseudostate,” Stefanou explained.
Finally, the resolution “rejects and excludes any form of a solution that will lead to the legalisation of status quo or a solution for two separate states”.It was noted that even though the resolution was commonly agreed on by all parties, there are issues where they maintain they own positions.
The National Council meetings were marred by a number of documents being leaked to the press.
AKEL leader Andros Kyprianou said he was saddened by the fact that some had tried to leak the documents submitted by AKEL at Tuesday’s meeting, and in a distorted manner.“We believe the leaks in the National Council ruin the climate, provoke unnecessary conflict between us and in the end undermine our negotiating capabilities,” he said. DISY leader Nicos Anastassiades was forced to release his party’s documents to the public in a press conference the day before yesterday after confirming that the leaks in the Council were distorting the truth. “When I hear, for example, that DISY proposed to suspend Turkey’s evaluation in December… I am obliged to give a press conference giving the documents verbatim, at least those relating to Turkey’s evaluation,” said Anastassiades. EVROKO leader Demetris Syllouris also revealed he had information that someone had leaked National Council documents to foreign ambassadors and UN officials.
Meanwhile, the leaders of the two communities in Cyprus have decided to increase their meetings at least for October.
President Demetris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat talked for 90 minutes on Thursday, their second meeting inthe second phase of negotiations.
“They plan to meet next on 7 and 8 October and also on 14 and 15 October,” UN special envoy Taye-Brook Zerihoun said after the meeting. “(They) have decided to keep this accelerated pace – to meet at least twice – in the coming month. This is quite positive and they are up-beat about it themselves,” Zerihoun told reporters.
In the meantime representatives and experts from both sides will meet to discuss the proposals submitted by each side on the executive with a view to narrowing differences or coming up with bridging ideas.
Speaking after the meeting, Christofias said they had decided to hand over their “improved” proposals concerning governance to their experts for processing. “There is a change by the Turkish side on the issue of the executive authority,” he clarified.
The Turkish Cypriot side had proposed that the president and vice-president of the new state, created after the problem was resolved, should be voted by the senate. “We have a different view. We want the president and vice president to be voted by the people,” Christofias said. Talat said the proposals were referred to the experts “to try, if possible, to bridge the two.” Christofias also said it was likely that in the next meeting the two leaders would most likely discuss the property issue.
The two men met again on Friday to discuss the bridging proposals on the chapter of governance, specifically the election of the President and Vice-President of the United Republic, which they submitted at their last meeting on September 10.
The UN’s Special Adviser on Cyprus, Alexander Downer, is currently in New York for a series of meetings on Cyprus, though he had to cut back his trip from seven days to two, the reasons for which remain unknown.
Moreover, the Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation has reported that the re-elected European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso is likely to appoint Leopold Maurer to follow the talks to ensure that any solution remains in line with the EU acquis communautaire. The unconfirmed reports said Maurer was most likely chosen for his in-depth knowledge of Cyprus, having represented the EU during accession negotiations with Cyprus before its 2004 membership.
Sunday 13 September 2009
Conspiracy theory season opens
The Sunday Mail's satirical column Coffeeshop says that the conspiracy theory season was opened triumphantly this week, in view of the critical developments in the Cyprob as they are working to a December deadline, by master conspiracy theorist, political moralist, bribery correspondent and book author Michalis Ignatiou, who got hold of a couple of UN documents and milked them dry both in Phil and Mega TV. Even though the content of the documents was not very sexy , the resourceful Ig, sexed them up adding his personal interpretation and views thus turning the mundane and predictable exchanges at two meetings, involving UN officials, into a wider international conspiracy aimed at pressuring the Greek Cypriots into agreeing to an unfair settlement. Phil’s banner headline for the story on Thursday was, “(They are) ‘Cooking’ pressure for G/Cs”. The pressure was not being ‘cooked’ in a pressure cooker, as you would expect, but at the UN with the Yanks acting as the chefs. The pressure cooker conspiracy consisted of the minutes of two meetings – one between the UN deputy Secretary-General Lyn Pascoe and US ambassador to Nicosia Frank Urbancic and the other between Big Al Downer and Little Mehmet Ali. A big song and dance was made about Pascoe telling Urbancic that Big Al had been instructed to inject ideas into the peace process, “while ensuring that the parties retained ownership of the talks.” This could hardly have surprised any sane person – if Big Al cannot come up with ideas, why is he here? According to Ig, this “revealed the intention to impose covert arbitration,” which is a big no-no for our side. Big Al has been warned – ideas for bridging the differences between the two sides are not allowed, because this would constitute arbitration. Other observations were made at the meeting but they are just too boring to repeat. The arbitration spin, by Ig captured the imagination of all our bash-patriotic politicians, who were queuing up at TV and radio stations to condemn the latest conspiracy by the Yanks and the UN to introduce much-hated arbitration.
Monday 7 September 2009
Keeping process going is not enough
An editorial in Sunday's Mail refers to this week's Limnitis crossing fiasco which UN envoy Alexander Downer called a “bump in the road” of reunification talks, and commends President Christofias for his dogged determination to keep the process going. The paper quotes a European diplomat as saying that in the past such a bump would have “wiped out” the talks but wonders whether the UN envoy was right on insisting that the important thing was to keep the process going. Just keeping the process going is clearly not enough, it says.
Observers point to the genuine work achieved on many of the more technical aspects of the solution – governance, EU matters, the economy - this is the easy stuff. There has been no progress on the dynamite issues of territory, property and guarantees. A diplomat last week tried to put a positive spin on the situation, arguing the big issues were quite simple: “Whereas governance is very technical, territory comes down to a line on a map, guarantees down to a statement of intent. Property is more complicated, but the leaders could put the fundamental principles down and let the aides fill in the gaps,” he said.
The truth is that while the two leaders may always smile for the cameras, they could talk till the cows come home. Hanging on will not deliver us a solution, but does anyone apart from the negotiators really want a solution? The real question is, do Greek and Turkish Cypriots look like people who genuinely want to live together? Does the language and the behaviour emanating from the two sides really suggest they are desperate for a common future? While neither side wants to walk out of the talks and be blamed for their failure, neither side seems to show the slightest enthusiasm for the partner they claim to want to walk along the aisle – indeed bare-knuckled loathing is more the order of the day.
In order to make those compromises on territory, property, guarantees, both sides have got to really want a successful outcome; they’ve got to be aching for it in the way Germans were when they rushed into reunification. Instead of that, we are staring across the barbed wire with a Cold War mentality, picking at each other’s mistakes, waiting for our opponents to make a slip, scoring points, proving that they could never be trusted after all.
The talks can limp along, but if they limp into the New Year, with hardly anything to show for, they will limp into the ‘presidential’ election campaign in the north, an election that, without a spectacular breakthrough in the talks, will almost certainly reward the hardliners. And that will be the end of that.
Makarios Drousiotis says that for a month now, the media, especially TV, has been raking up all the traumatic memories of 1974 including the recent testimony of an unnamed Turkish Cypriot who claimed Turkish soldires disembarked from ships in Kyrenia and massacred 320 Greek Cypriot prisoners with bayonets turning the sea red. Even a rudimentary investigation of the evidence would demonstrate that it was not serious. Logically, the news item should have been thrown in the rubbish binas it had no journalistic value. But if the goal is not to inform but to make propaganda, then the testimony is worth its weight in gold.
He says that anyone with the slightest politcal judgement knows that the ongoing talks represent the last effort to make Cyprus a single geographical area again and the deadline is the end of the year. He claims that there exists in Cyprus powerful factors that are trying to wreckthings at any cost, even that of making the orth of the island Turkish forever. As the end looms closer, this relentless psychologial warfare is intensifying. Ten days before the Agios Mamas pilgrimage was scheduled, the media were prejudging how it would all play out. And that's exactly what happened. Responsibility was placed squarely on the other side. Christofias who was in Paris at the time, cancelled Thursday's talks without receiving sufficient information about events. The next day the government realised it had fallen victim to those wishing to undermine the talks and started damage limitation exercises. But in all this mayhem, the message firmly imprinted on people's minds is that there can be no coexistence and cooperation "with those who massacred us", nor can a complex solution agreement ever hope to be implemented "with those who are from the ouset unreliable and deceitful". Those trying to undermine the talks have every reason to feel happy. On Thursday Volkan, the newspaper of the Grey Wolves had as its banner headline: "Bravo Christofias".
Observers point to the genuine work achieved on many of the more technical aspects of the solution – governance, EU matters, the economy - this is the easy stuff. There has been no progress on the dynamite issues of territory, property and guarantees. A diplomat last week tried to put a positive spin on the situation, arguing the big issues were quite simple: “Whereas governance is very technical, territory comes down to a line on a map, guarantees down to a statement of intent. Property is more complicated, but the leaders could put the fundamental principles down and let the aides fill in the gaps,” he said.
The truth is that while the two leaders may always smile for the cameras, they could talk till the cows come home. Hanging on will not deliver us a solution, but does anyone apart from the negotiators really want a solution? The real question is, do Greek and Turkish Cypriots look like people who genuinely want to live together? Does the language and the behaviour emanating from the two sides really suggest they are desperate for a common future? While neither side wants to walk out of the talks and be blamed for their failure, neither side seems to show the slightest enthusiasm for the partner they claim to want to walk along the aisle – indeed bare-knuckled loathing is more the order of the day.
In order to make those compromises on territory, property, guarantees, both sides have got to really want a successful outcome; they’ve got to be aching for it in the way Germans were when they rushed into reunification. Instead of that, we are staring across the barbed wire with a Cold War mentality, picking at each other’s mistakes, waiting for our opponents to make a slip, scoring points, proving that they could never be trusted after all.
The talks can limp along, but if they limp into the New Year, with hardly anything to show for, they will limp into the ‘presidential’ election campaign in the north, an election that, without a spectacular breakthrough in the talks, will almost certainly reward the hardliners. And that will be the end of that.
Makarios Drousiotis says that for a month now, the media, especially TV, has been raking up all the traumatic memories of 1974 including the recent testimony of an unnamed Turkish Cypriot who claimed Turkish soldires disembarked from ships in Kyrenia and massacred 320 Greek Cypriot prisoners with bayonets turning the sea red. Even a rudimentary investigation of the evidence would demonstrate that it was not serious. Logically, the news item should have been thrown in the rubbish binas it had no journalistic value. But if the goal is not to inform but to make propaganda, then the testimony is worth its weight in gold.
He says that anyone with the slightest politcal judgement knows that the ongoing talks represent the last effort to make Cyprus a single geographical area again and the deadline is the end of the year. He claims that there exists in Cyprus powerful factors that are trying to wreckthings at any cost, even that of making the orth of the island Turkish forever. As the end looms closer, this relentless psychologial warfare is intensifying. Ten days before the Agios Mamas pilgrimage was scheduled, the media were prejudging how it would all play out. And that's exactly what happened. Responsibility was placed squarely on the other side. Christofias who was in Paris at the time, cancelled Thursday's talks without receiving sufficient information about events. The next day the government realised it had fallen victim to those wishing to undermine the talks and started damage limitation exercises. But in all this mayhem, the message firmly imprinted on people's minds is that there can be no coexistence and cooperation "with those who massacred us", nor can a complex solution agreement ever hope to be implemented "with those who are from the ouset unreliable and deceitful". Those trying to undermine the talks have every reason to feel happy. On Thursday Volkan, the newspaper of the Grey Wolves had as its banner headline: "Bravo Christofias".
Friday 4 September 2009
Talks cancelled then resumed after row over Agios Mamas
Talks between the Greek and Turkish Cypriot community leaders were cancelled yesterday after a row broke out over a Greek Cypriot pilgrimage to the Church of Agios Mamas in the Morphou district. Greek Cypriots accused that checks by the Turkish Cypriots at the Limnitis crossing point caused huge delays and led to the cancellation of the trip.
But President Christofias picked up the phone to Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat yesterday and exchanged views over what had happened.They agreed to discuss the matter further at their next planned meeting on September 10.
An informal meeting between Christofias and party leaders last night at the Presidential Palace also aimed to silence critics of the government over its handling of the affair, at least for now.
Twenty-seven buses filled with Greek Cypriot pilgrims turned back from Limnitis crossing after Turkish Cypriot ‘police’ boarded, demanded to see IDs and then refused entry to those who were not on the official list or whose ID names were somewhat different to those on the list. Both sides blamed the other for the cancelled pilgrimage with the Turkish Cypriot leadership saying the buses turned up late, with extra people on board who were not on the agreed list. The Greek Cypriots argued there was an over-zealous handling of the affair, with a failure to show mutual respect and understanding, following strict efforts to check every single pilgrim’s identity.
The whole fiasco threw a spanner in the works of the peace process, leading Christofias to call for “more mutual respect” from the Turkish Cypriot side, while UN Special Envoy Alexander Downer registered his disappointment.
The talks now appear to be back on track with the second round now scheduled to start next Thursday.
The Cyprus Mail reports that the incident was not without consequences, however, as sharp comments from political players on both sides of the divide and abroad yesterday burst the bubble of hope precariously hovering above the UN-controlled Nicosia airport.Turkish Cypriot ‘prime minister’ Dervis Eroglu accused Christofias of “leaving the negotiations table with lame excuses”, saying he had “no intention for reconciliation”. Talat’s spokesman Hasan Ercakica said the cancellation was an effort by the Greek Cypriot side to slow down the talks using “flimsy excuses”. Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said that alternative solutions would have to be found if further delays were experienced, while Turkey’s chief EU negotiator Egemen Bagis told reporters that the temporary delay demonstrated Greek Cypriots’ lack of commitment to resolving the island’s 35-year division. He also told Reuters that Turkey had no intention of opening its ports and airports to Cypriot-flagged ships and planes until the EU establishes direct trade with the Turkish Cypriots.
At home DISY leader Nicos Anastasiades noted that better coordination by the government of the pilgrims’ trip could have avoided what some people wanted to provoke. He added this does not justify the actions of the occupying regime in taking advantage of certain mistakes. Coalition partner DIKO’s acting head Georghios Colocassides berated the government for entering into an arrangement with the Turkish Cypriot side in the first place, saying: “You can’t trust someone who is a systematic violator.”
But President Christofias picked up the phone to Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat yesterday and exchanged views over what had happened.They agreed to discuss the matter further at their next planned meeting on September 10.
An informal meeting between Christofias and party leaders last night at the Presidential Palace also aimed to silence critics of the government over its handling of the affair, at least for now.
Twenty-seven buses filled with Greek Cypriot pilgrims turned back from Limnitis crossing after Turkish Cypriot ‘police’ boarded, demanded to see IDs and then refused entry to those who were not on the official list or whose ID names were somewhat different to those on the list. Both sides blamed the other for the cancelled pilgrimage with the Turkish Cypriot leadership saying the buses turned up late, with extra people on board who were not on the agreed list. The Greek Cypriots argued there was an over-zealous handling of the affair, with a failure to show mutual respect and understanding, following strict efforts to check every single pilgrim’s identity.
The whole fiasco threw a spanner in the works of the peace process, leading Christofias to call for “more mutual respect” from the Turkish Cypriot side, while UN Special Envoy Alexander Downer registered his disappointment.
The talks now appear to be back on track with the second round now scheduled to start next Thursday.
The Cyprus Mail reports that the incident was not without consequences, however, as sharp comments from political players on both sides of the divide and abroad yesterday burst the bubble of hope precariously hovering above the UN-controlled Nicosia airport.Turkish Cypriot ‘prime minister’ Dervis Eroglu accused Christofias of “leaving the negotiations table with lame excuses”, saying he had “no intention for reconciliation”. Talat’s spokesman Hasan Ercakica said the cancellation was an effort by the Greek Cypriot side to slow down the talks using “flimsy excuses”. Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said that alternative solutions would have to be found if further delays were experienced, while Turkey’s chief EU negotiator Egemen Bagis told reporters that the temporary delay demonstrated Greek Cypriots’ lack of commitment to resolving the island’s 35-year division. He also told Reuters that Turkey had no intention of opening its ports and airports to Cypriot-flagged ships and planes until the EU establishes direct trade with the Turkish Cypriots.
At home DISY leader Nicos Anastasiades noted that better coordination by the government of the pilgrims’ trip could have avoided what some people wanted to provoke. He added this does not justify the actions of the occupying regime in taking advantage of certain mistakes. Coalition partner DIKO’s acting head Georghios Colocassides berated the government for entering into an arrangement with the Turkish Cypriot side in the first place, saying: “You can’t trust someone who is a systematic violator.”
Wednesday 2 September 2009
Turkish Foreign Minister urges Greek Cypriots not to miss another opportunity
TurkishForeign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu yesterday called on Greek Cypriots to work for a comprehensive agreement as soon as possible and not to miss another opportunity at peace .
“We have to achieve this peace,” he said. “You (Greek Cypriots) rejected a peace plan in 2004 and missed a historic opportunity. Please, this time, you should not miss this opportunity of a comprehensive peace...You should not delay the process of peace, and work with us to achieve peace as early as possible, before the end of this year, or if later, in a very reasonable time,” he said.
Speaking from the north yesterday, where he was on a visit two days before the resumption of talks between the two communities, Davutoglu warned the Cyprus Republic not to dabble with EU mechanisms in an effort to turn the screw on Turkey. “You should not think EU mechanisms could be instruments in these negotiations against Turkey or Turkish Cypriots,” he added.
The minister also called on the EU to be balanced in its approach to the two sides in the talks and called on the UN to intensify efforts for a solution.
During a joint press conference with Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat, Davutoglu reiterated Turkey’s support for the security guarantees over Cyprus to remain as they are.
“We have to achieve this peace,” he said. “You (Greek Cypriots) rejected a peace plan in 2004 and missed a historic opportunity. Please, this time, you should not miss this opportunity of a comprehensive peace...You should not delay the process of peace, and work with us to achieve peace as early as possible, before the end of this year, or if later, in a very reasonable time,” he said.
Speaking from the north yesterday, where he was on a visit two days before the resumption of talks between the two communities, Davutoglu warned the Cyprus Republic not to dabble with EU mechanisms in an effort to turn the screw on Turkey. “You should not think EU mechanisms could be instruments in these negotiations against Turkey or Turkish Cypriots,” he added.
The minister also called on the EU to be balanced in its approach to the two sides in the talks and called on the UN to intensify efforts for a solution.
During a joint press conference with Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat, Davutoglu reiterated Turkey’s support for the security guarantees over Cyprus to remain as they are.
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