Talks cannot go on indefinitely

UN-backed efforts to reunite Cyprus could be lost unless a breakthrough is made by the end of the year, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Cemil Cicek said yesterday in a speech at a military parade in the north of Nicosia to commemorate the Turkish invasion on 20 July 1974.

"We seek a solution by the end of 2010. However, if this cannot be achieved everyone will go their separate ways," Cicek said. "The talks cannot go on indefinitely".

"I call upon the EU and those who back the Greek Cypriot side to review their approach and to contemplate what will happen if there is no solution by the end of the year," Cicek said. "For those who ask Turkey to make a decision between north Cyprus and the EU, let me say that we will always choose Cyprus", he added.

Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu in his speech yesterday echoed Cicek’s comments.
"If a solution is going to be found it must be based on the reality that there are two equal peoples and two equal states in Cyprus," he said.

“After 20 July 1974, there has been a new geography and two separate states, two separate peoples, two separate republics and two separate sides within this geography. An agreement reached in Cyprus should be based on these realities and should include our sovereign equality and full and effective guarantees of motherland Turkey. Since I became the President, I have been stressing that if there is a will, we shall reach a permanent agreement by the end of 2010. All contacts and proposals I have made are directed towards this aim.”

The Turkish Cypriot leader ruled out any link between Turkey's accession process and the return of Varosha Greek Cypriots as had been put forward in a package of proposals to the Turkish Cypriot side by President Christofias at the talks.

The package suggests linking the discussion of three of the chapters of the Cyprus problem – those dealing with property, territorial readjustments and the one dealing with immigration, citizenship, foreigners and asylum. The proposals also urge Turkey to apply the UN Security Council resolution 550, adopted in 1984, which provides for Turkey handing over Varosha to the UN. It also includes the opening of the port of Famagusta under the auspices of the European Union. Christofias has also proposed convening an international conference “when we are within range of an agreement on the internal aspects (of the Cyprus problem).” The international conference would be convened by the United Nations with the participation of the five permanent members of the Security Council, the European Union, the guarantor powers, the Republic of Cyprus and the communities. Its objective would be resolving the international aspect of the Cyprus problem, which includes the issues of guarantees and security, the presence of foreign military forces in Cyprus as well as the presence of Turkish settlers.

In a lengthy interview on CyBC last night, President Christofias said that, if accepted, the package of proposals will provide a boost to the negotiating procedure with the aim of achieving a solution soon.

The Cyprus Mail in its editorial yesterday on the anniversary of the Turkish invasion, says north of the Green Line there will be celebrations and triumphal speeches while south the mood will be sombre. We have seen and heard it all before and are condemned to do so this time next year again, because, despite the rhetoric, the maintenance of the status quo appears to suit the political leadership of both sides, not to mention Turkey for which the continuation of the occupation no longer has a cost.

This is why it is very difficult to entertain much hope of the latest peace talks yielding an agreement. Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu believes in a two-state solution, even though he has been instructed by Ankara to adopt a softer line at the talks and has done so. President Christofias, believes in re-unification but has shown time and again that he is not willing to take any big risk to achieve his objective. He is content for the talks to continue at a slow pace – no asphyxiating time frames – without ever reaching a conclusion. It is the one issue on which he sees eye to eye with Eroglu.

To a large extent, both are in tune with the wishes of the people they represent. Majorities on both sides are opposed to re-unification, for very different reasons. This is understandable considering the innate conservatism and aversion to risk which characterize both communities. An agreement involving power-sharing, territorial re-adjustments, property compensations and movement of people is a big risk which few people on either side are prepared to take for the obvious reason – they are content with the way things are.

Why support an agreement that would give rise to an uncertain future? The fact that the benefits of an agreement have never been sold to the Greek Cypriots has not helped things. In 2004, the Turkish Cypriots voted in favour of the Annan plan because the benefits of the deal had been very well marketed on their side, whereas the Greek Cypriots rejected it because it was presented in a totally negative way by the political leadership and the media. Other factors were also at play but there is little doubt that the majority of Greek Cypriots did not need much convincing.

Six years have passed since the referendum and the majority of people on both sides appear to have come to terms with the idea that the status quo will, by default, become the solution of the Cyprus problem. This is the easy option for everyone, including the politicians, as it is perceived as the no-risk path. Of course, nobody ever mentions the fact that maintenance of the status quo would be a big victory for Turkey, which would hold on to everything it seized by force 36 years ago. We might realize this when we are marking the 50th anniversary of the Turkish invasion.

Coffeeshop, the Cyprus Mail’s satirical column, last Sunday wrote that the marking of, what AKEL traditionally describes as the ‘the black anniversaries of the twin crime of 1974 against Cyprus,’ begun last week and are set to be completed on Tuesday, presumably with yet another public gathering for the AKEL hordes.

The politically correct societies of the West would not have referred to the twin crimes of ’74 as ‘black anniversaries’ because of its racist connotations. Thankfully, we have not reached high levels of political correctness so there is not really an issue about the black anniversaries. But if it ever arises we could start referring to the ‘grey anniversaries’. It would offend nobody and accurately reflect the merciless dullness and high boredom factor of the speeches and events they inspire.

North of the green line, the mood is different, where the white anniversary of the invasion is celebrated with a military parade, to remind our Turkish Cypriot bros of the debt they owe their motherland and of who is actually in charge. Our bros have been complaining that the Harpoglu pseudo-government was giving pseudo-citizenship to Turkish mainlanders and that they have become a minority in the north. It is estimated that TCs constitute just 40 per cent of the population in the north, which means our bros are once again a minority. They still have more political power than the mainlanders they snobbishly look down on, but they realise that by the 40th anniversary of the invasion these impoverished, uncouth Anatolian labourers may be running the show. There’s a cause for celebration.