UN S-G report: both leaders have failed to deliver

A critical window of opportunity to resolve the Cyprus issue is rapidly closing while negotiations remain sluggish, frustratingly slow and disappointing, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has concluded in his report on his Good Offices Mission.

The 10-page report to the Security Council, released last week gives a rundown on what the UN expected from the leaders based on their commitment, and what they failed to deliver.

It also said the property differences were currently irreconcilable and urged the two leaders to come up with a convergence plan by the end of January when Ban will meet them in Geneva.

“I acknowledge that the question of property is arguably the most complex of the issues under negotiation, and recognise the efforts made by both sides to date to tackle the issue in a serious manner. However, despite close to six months of discussions on this crucial issue, my Special Adviser has reported a worrying lack of progress in efforts to agree on a conceptual framework on property. Basic differences exist between the two sides. For the time being these two positions are irreconcilable,” said Ban.

“We must be clear that to negotiate successfully a bizonal, bicommunal federation, the two leaders will have to reconcile these and other seemingly irreconcilable issues across all six chapters”, he said adding that the talks could not be an open-ended process.

“However, I fear a critical window of opportunity is rapidly closing. It is true that the leaders have met 88 times since the beginning of the full fledged negotiations and I commend them for this commitment. However, the true measure of the success of the negotiations will not be in how many times they have been able to meet, but by progress on finding mutually acceptable solutions to difficult issues. Talks for the sake of talks are ultimately not productive,” the Secretary-General said.

“The process so far has been characterised by periods of sluggish activity together with some flashes on dynamism ahead of important events. It is my concern that the political environment in the second quarter of 2011 will likely not be conducive to constructive negotiations,” he added, referring to Greek Cypriot parliamentary elections in May and Turkish elections in June. Ban said society intense political moments such as elections were rarely a time for compromises or flexibility.

“If substantive agreement across all chapters cannot be concluded ahead of the election cycle, the talks may go into abeyance and there is a serious risk that the negotiations could founder fatally,” he said.

“As such, both leaders must necessarily take responsibility for the course of the talks, for their success or their failure. No-one else can do this. Cypriot leadership means that it is the leaders who must propel the process forward and defend it against those who would seek to derail it.”

Referring to opinion polls, Ban said they indicates overwhelmingly low public expectations that a settlement could be reached, as well as distrust on both sides that, if a settlement were to be reached, the other side would have any serious intention of honouring it.

He said a solution therefore needed more than a comprehensive plan. It needed strong and determined leadership that will make the public case for a united Cyprus with all the benefits this brings.

Despite the collegial atmosphere in which the leaders engage in the talks, Ban said, the leaders’ subsequent public rhetoric had not conveyed that the negotiations were moving forward. Throughout the process, political leaders, both in government and opposition have accused the other side of undermining the talks, he said. Occasional outbursts by the leaders about each other had not contributed to building public confidence either, he said. It was up to them to reverse the current cycle of negative messages.

“I have been very disappointed to see a steady stream of untruthful and highly negative remarks about the United Nations reflected in the media. This criticism and misinformation about the UN is most unfortunate. Efforts by opponents of a solution to undermine the UN's credibility directly undermines the process itself.”

He said until now five Secretaries-General of the United Nations have dispatched good offices missions to the island to help facilitate peace negotiations and the international community had remained engaged in the Cyprus peace process due to the critical importance of its resolution for the island as well as the region “and there is a clear expectation that it will succeed”.

“While some progress has been made, it has been frustratingly slow. It is disappointing that, as we approach the end of the year, those expectations have not been met,” said Ban.

“The leaders of Cyprus are expected to make good on their commitment to that outcome. I also urge all regional actors to contribute positively, wherever they can, to help bring these negotiations to a rapid and successful conclusion. In the coming days and weeks, they will set the future course for the island and its citizens. It is their choice to make.”

Ban concludes with a list of recommendations and observations, including the leaders coming up with a practical plan to overcome the major remaining points of disagreement. They must also try to improve the public atmosphere and give out more constructive and harmonised messages to enhance public trust.

“I believe that parliamentarians and political actors on both sides should more consistently demonstrate their support for the negotiation process by allowing the two leaders adequate space to negotiate a potential settlement in good faith,” Ban added.

Finally he warned both sides that in the coming months he plans to conduct a broader assessment of the United Nations presence in Cyprus, with a view to recommend ways to adjust to ongoing developments.

The government responding to the UN S-G’s highlighted the positive elements of the report, referring to the fact that the Secretary-General had reaffirmed the basis of a Cyprus solution, which in essence ruled out strict timeframes and arbitration.

That UN Security Council resolutions were mentioned, along with the principle ‘nothing is agreed until everything is agreed’ were also a plus, Government Spokesman Stefanos Stefanou said, as was the idea to link all six chapters.

“There are some problematic references in the report regarding the role of political leaders and the media in creating a political climate which supports efforts for a solution,” he said.

Stefanou warned that those who engage in public rhetoric needed to consider what kind of messages they are giving out to the world and how others perceive them.

“Nevertheless, we feel that it would have been better to avoid these references in the SG’s report, just as public statements by his representatives should be avoided, which provoke other statements and reports, creating a vicious circle,” he added.

Coffeeshop refers to the scandalous report by the UN Secretary-General which set a suffocating time-frame for an agreement between the two sides and threatened a UN disengagement from the Cyprob after 47 years of unproductive work. All the parties and newspapers were furious with Ban Ki-Moon’s reference to the “steady stream of untruthful and highly negative remarks about the United Nations reflected in the media. The criticism and misinformation about the UN is most unfortunate.” They were livid that he spoke about the negative climate and opposition to a settlement cultivated by the political parties and media and called it an unacceptable case of interference in the internal affairs of the Cyprus Republic, as well as an official doubting of the Cyprus Republic and its institutions. It just makes you wonder why we insist on solving the Cyprob within the framework of an organization that is so hostile towards us. Isn’t there another, more favourable framework anywhere in the world within which not to solve the Cyprob? Maybe we should try the Islamic Conference or the Organisation of African Unity.