1. Downer wonders is the solution federation or something else

The UN are examining various possibilities as regards the solution of the Cyprus problem, including whether or not such a solution would entail a bizonal, bicommunal federation.

Press reports said that the UN Secretary-General’s Special Adviser on Cyprus Alexander Downer said this while addressing foreign diplomats in Nicosia this week in an attempt to convey the disappointment of the island’s citizens to the fact that no solution had been found.

“Is a bizonal, bicommunal federation the best solution, or is it something else”, he said.

Speaking after a meeting previously with President Christofias, Mr Downer said: “My overall take is that there has been a lot of progress made over the last few years but obviously there remain some obstacles and difficulties which have not be resolved”.

He said that the UN would meet with the newly President of Cyprus after the elections of February 2013 and draw his or her attention to what had been achieved thus far under President Christofias.

He added that the new President would obviously be able to make his or her own decisions on how they would like to proceed regarding the Cyprus problem. The UN is guided by the Security Council resolutions, Mr Downer further pointed out. “That’s the basis of our work, so we will just see what can be done once the election is out of the way”, he explained

Mr Downer will be visiting Athens, Ankara and Brussels and will return to Cyprus in January.

Akel, Edek and presidential candidate George Lillikas all reacted to Downer’s statement. Akel objected to what it perceived as Downer putting into question the agreed basis for a solution, while Edek and Lillikas objected to his phrase “something else” interpreting this as meaning Turkey’s solution of two states.

“This shows the disastrous role that he is playing”, said Edek. “It is unacceptable for Downer to continue to represent the UN when he is now so obviously promoting Turkish aims”.

Annan plan was last chance to reunite Cyprus, says former Spokesman

The Annan plan was the last opportunity to reunite Cyprus under a federation, former Government Spokesman under President Clerides, Michalis Papapetrou, said in an interview in the Cyprus Mail. 

“I consider that Christofias and AKEL committed a crime in 2004 by voting against the Annan Plan, which, in my humble opinion, was the last opportunity to reunite Cyprus under the auspices of a federation.”

Furthermore, he added that he believed that President Papadopoulos negotiated the plan he received from Clerides with the aim of being in a better position to kill it.

“The ‘Annan III’ plan that Mr Papadopoulos received from Mr Clerides – and I was in the negotiating team of Mr Clerides at the time – was a miracle,” he insisted. “It was much, much better than the one Mr Papadopoulos, after strong negotiation, presented to the people to vote in the referendum. It was much better. And I’m sure that, if somebody honestly wanted to make it even better, he could negotiate further in 2003 to make it better. But my opinion is that Mr Papadopoulos was negotiating with an aim to be in a position to more easily kill it. That’s obvious.”

He praised President Clerides highly as being “a university” when it came to negotiating skills and added that he had supported Christofias’ presidential bid in 2008 in order to help remove Tassos Papadopoulos from the presidency , who he considered “a political disaster for our country”, though he also admitted that Christofias himself had played a part in that disaster, first in helping Papadopoulos to power, then allying himself with the ‘No’ camp.

In his view, the dream of federation ended in 2004, or at best a few years later, “when Mr Christofias treated Talat as Denktash … and let things shift to Eroglu, where things are impossible”. Even after the Plan was rejected, there was hope; the National Council unanimously asked for it to be re-negotiated – but Christofias, he says, hammered the final nail in its coffin by refusing to go to Talat with the half-dozen issues identified by the Council and insisting instead on starting from scratch, wasting valuable time.

“And I want to remind you that just before the elections in the north – which Talat lost – the UN Secretary-General came to Cyprus and was begging Christofias to sign together with Talat, in order to lock up the issues they had agreed so far. And Christofias refused. Do you know why? Because he had one eye on the negotiations and the other eye on what the Archbishop would say, or his allies in government, DIKO and EDEK.”

He acknowledges, however, that he is out of step with the man in the street. “It’s obvious that, at least for the time being, the majority of the people of Cyprus do not share the way I think.”

The Mail’s satirical weekly column Coffeeshop says there has been a concerted effort by the comrade’s poodles in AKEL and the government over the last week or so to make the Cyprob the main issue of debate in order to shift public attention away from his grand project of destroying the economy and sending living standards to 1970s levels. 

Last weekend the commies held half a dozen news conferences to attack comments about the Cyprob, attributed to the DISY Fuhrer by a Turkish newspaper, whereby he had expressed a preference for a ‘loose federation’ to an MEP who mentioned this to Hurriyet daily. The comrades were apoplectic - you could see smoke coming out of their ears as soon as the TV camera focused on them - and managed to keep their self-righteous rage going for the cameras until Wednesday. They were helped by Nik’s stupid decision to respond through his party deputies with an intensity that made you think AKEL had accused him of expressing a preference not for loose federation but for loose women. 

The comrade spoke about the ‘danger of loose federation’ outside a church on Friday night, warning that this would lead to a two-state solution. His commitment to a tight federation on the other hand, had averted the two-state solution. This insistence on talking about the Cyprob at time when everybody wants to know what the president plans to do about the economy that is in free-fall gives rise to fears that he has a screw loose. 

Two more weeks of shuttle diplomacy

Special Advisor of the UN Secretary-General, Alexander Downer, in a news conference at the Ledra Palace Hotel on Friday, said he had informed the two leaders of the UN’s decision to downgrade the peace talks, putting an end to “unproductive” leaders’ meetings, while calling on the leaders to figure out a way to convene a multilateral conference in the summer.  

Downer said he explained to both leaders that “there could be no more business as usual” and made it clear that the UN was no longer prepared to host high-level leaders’ meetings that “have honestly not been very productive, to say the least, over the last few months”.

Over the next couple of weeks the UN will engage in shuttle diplomacy between the two sides in an attempt to negotiate the way forward, as it has become clear that the negotiations on the Cyprus problem have come to a standstill.

He said following his meeting last week with the UN Secretary-General in New York to discuss this assessment of the state of the negotiations, the Secretary-General had called both leaders to say he was very disappointed that the sides had not progressed as he had hoped.

“It is clear that something has to change”, he said adding that the UN does not see any value in scheduling leaders’ meetings unless there is a clear indication from both sides that there is something substantial to be concluded.

Outlining the developments since Greentree, where he said the two sides had three main challenges to resolve - the election of the executive, property and citizenship – he said only limited progress was made. 


“The face-to-face meetings of the sides held since January have still not solved these problems. The ‘food for thought’ ideas that the UN has put forward have been welcomed by both sides. But the sides have yet to achieve the common understanding on property despite several months of work”. 


He said there have also been significant differences on the issue of the executive. The Greek Cypriot side has insisted that Mr. Christofias reached an agreement with Mr. Talat on cross-voting in 2010 whereas Mr. Eroglu says this agreement was not concluded and he has been opposed to cross-voting.

Recently, Mr. Eroglu wrote to the Secretary-General suggesting that he would accept cross-voting in the context of a multilateral conference and this has been acknowledged positively by the Secretary-General. 


“There is no doubt that there will only be a settlement if common ground is shared between the two sides. We all need to face the facts”, he stressed.

He said that given all this, he and the Secretary-General had discussed a series of options as far as the next steps in the talks are concerned. The S-G has concluded that there has not been sufficient progress on core issues at this stage to call a multilateral conference. Obviously the Secretary-General is not in favour of calling a conference that would be a failure. And what is more, while the Turkish Cypriots have been anxious to go to a multilateral conference as soon as possible, the Greek Cypriot side has said that all internal issues need to be resolved before a multilateral conference is held. 


“The Secretary-General appreciates that both Leaders have wanted to conclude an agreement at least on core issues by the time Cyprus takes over the presidency of the European Union. It certainly remains the Secretary-General’s ambition to call a multilateral conference in the summer in order to conclude the final phase of the negotiations. But for this to happen the two sides will need to agree on the way forward”, he said.

Downer said that the Secretary-General has told the sides that it is never too late for bold and decisive moves and new ideas or innovative proposals. But if none are taken, then obviously there will be no further convergence on core issues. 


Concluding, Downer again stressed that the process is Cypriot-led and Cypriot-owned. “The UN is only here to help. But in the end, the UN can never want this agreement more than the two sides”. 


The Cyprus government yesterday blamed the Turkish side for the UN’s announcement that it would be taking a back seat in the talks for the foreseeable future, while opposition parties turned on Special Adviser Alexander Downer.

Government Spokesman Stefanos Stefanou put the blame on the Turkish side. “The negotiations are facing a lot of difficulties and problems due to the negative and delaying stance of the Turkish side,” he told reporters.

He added that the problem did not lie with the procedure of the talks but with Turkey’s ‘obstructionist stance.’

Stefanou also said that Christofias had assured UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon of his willingness to continue with the negotiations when Cyprus takes over the EU presidency in July.

The Turkish side has repeatedly said it would not negotiate during the six-month period of the presidency. They want an international conference called but the Greek Cypriot side says there is no point to holding such a conference until internal issues have been resolved in the talks. 

Meanwhile right-wing EVROKO accused Downer of not being interested in finding a solution to the Cyprus problem but of simply serving Turkey’s interests “by bolstering the pseudostate through an international conference”. Centre-right DIKO described Downer as someone “aspiring to become an advocate of Turkey’s side and champion of [their] aspirations”.

Last talks?

The leaders of the two communities in Cyprus met last week for what could very well be their last time given the lack of progress to date and the obstacles arising in the coming months, the Cyprus Mail reported.

Although aides to the two leaders were still meeting on property, no new meeting was fixed between President Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Eroglu before UN Special Adviser Alexander Downer goes to New York in mid-April to meet with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

Eroglu said after the meeting that, as far as the Turkish Cypriot side was concerned, they had made it clear the meeting was at least the last one until Ban decides whether or not to call an international conference.

The Turkish side has already said it will not come to the table for as long as Cyprus holds the six-monthly EU rotating presidency, which begins on July 1.

Downer said if the leaders wished to meet before mid April, it was up to them. Even though he would not be on the island, he said his staff would facilitate a meeting if the leaders wished.

“The timing of the leaders’ meeting is ultimately a matter for them because as I have often said this is a Cypriot-owned and Cypriot-led process,” said Downer. “That was one of the bases for these negotiations laid down at the very beginning of this process. So, that’s really a matter for them.”

Downer’s report on the status of the peace talks is due to be completed last Friday, depending on the outcome of the property discussions between the leaders’ respective aides, Giorgos Iacovou and Kudret Ozersay.

According to sources, the outcome of negotiations between the aides would have a clear impact on the ‘flavour’ of Downer’s report. It is believed the two sides were seeking agreement on the basic ground rules of a mechanism that would be instrumental in solving the massive property issue enabling Downer to write about a positive development in the final phase of the talks in his report.

Downer has in the past said the two sides need to overcome obstacles like property and election of the executive before a multilateral conference can be called. On the other hand, the UN adviser did seem buoyed by his meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu last week in Brussels, suggesting the latter may have hinted at more flexible positions at the eleventh hour.

Speaking after the meeting, Christofias said the Greek Cypriot side was ready to continue talks until a “common language” can be found, irrespective of Downer’s report.

Asked about the possibility of an international conference, Christofias said he did not believe the UN S-G would convene such a meeting because there was nothing to justify it.

“None of the obligations and commitments undertaken before the Secretary-General have been met,” he said, as Eroglu had not stuck to what had previously been agreed between his predecessor Mehmet Ali Talat and Christofias.

A meeting on the international aspects of the Cyprus issue could take place if and when the internal aspects of the problem have been solved, he said.

“The issue of governance is still open, the issue of citizenship is still open, the issue of property is still open, and the issue of territory is still open. These are important aspects of the Cyprus problem. So convening any meeting is not justified,” said Christofias.

Asked about reports that Eroglu had sent a letter to Ban saying he would accept cross-voting for the federal executive if the UN chief calls an international conference, the President said Eroglu made no such reference in yesterday’s meeting, suggesting the rumours could be a communications ploy to influence international opinion.

Eroglu later confirmed that he had sent a letter to Ban saying that if an international conference was called, the Turkish Cypriot side was ready to discuss a lot of issues.

The UN Secretary General’s Special Adviser on Cyprus, Mr Alexander Downer, last week briefed via video conference the UN Secretary Council on the developments in the Cyprus problem.

After the briefing, the UK Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant, whose country currently holds the presidency of the Security Council, said Downer had made the point that over the last few years substantive amount of agreement had been reached between the parties but that there was still significant gaps on a number of issues and that in line with the resolution that was adopted last year he will be doing a report, a personal report to the Secretary-General in the second half of April on the basis of which a decision will be taken on the way forward.

“Obviously all member-states offered Mr Downer their full support in his work in trying to help facilitate a Cypriot-owned resolution into the issues”, he added.

Replying to a question the Ambassador confirmed that the Turkish-Cypriot side wanted a deadline to be set for the talks but that the Greek Cypriots take the opposite view.

“We believe that the conditions are right for agreement to be made if the necessary political will is there and the compromises are made on both sides. So we certainly hope that with the facilitation of the UN Good Offices it might be possible for the two sides to reach agreement in the next few months”, he concluded.

Turkish Cypriot daily Haberdar reported yesterday that it has acquired some details on the plan of the Turkish side regarding the opening of the occupied city of Varosha under Turkish administration, that all the preparations have been completed and that this time it’s serious.

Citing information from reliable sources, the paper says the decision of the Turkish side on this issue will be taken after the UN Secretary-General’s releases his report on Cyprus on 19 April and not after 1 July, as was reported. If Ban does not call a multilateral conference, this will be perceived as an indirect declaration that the talks have failed whereupon the ‘Varosha Project’ will be launched”, the paper says.

Turkish daily Milliyet had reported last Sunday that the Turkish Cypriot side has decided to unilaterally open the occupied city of Varosha for settlement under Turkish control on 1 July, 2012, when Cyprus takes over the EU presidency.

“According to this plan, all Greek Cypriots who owned property there in the past, will be able to return”, writes the paper.

The issue was put forward the previous week when Dervis Eroglu visited Ankara and Ankara had reacted positively, the paper said.

Citing diplomatic sources, the paper says the Turkish Cypriot side is trying to draw up a new Cyprus strategy and chose to open Varosha on the very day when the Greek Cypriots take over the EU presidency.

The number of Greek Cypriot property owners in Varosha will be calculated, as will the number of those who have since died. The Greek Cypriots who owned property in Varosha before 1974 will be given back their homes and the Immovable Property Commission will solve any legal problems that may arise.

As regards whether or not the talks should continue after 1 July, the Turkish Cypriots were given to understand that the Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan was against their continuing, whereas Turkish President Gul insisted that they should not be interrupted.

A diplomatic source said Erdogan was very supportive of the Turkish Cypriots and that their relations had thawed after he visited the island last July. The same source said that Ankara s stance is that ‘if necessary the TRNC will be annexed’.

Little movement, despite promises, says UN S-G

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in his latest report on Cyprus expresses renewed concern over the Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders’ inability to agree on core issues and that the negotiations are close to a deadlock.

“Despite the leaders’ repeated commitments to intensify the negotiations and push for a conclusion as soon as possible, the fact that there has been such limited movement towards convergence on core issues in recent months is a matter of concern,” said Ban.

“There is no doubt that the political environment in which the negotiations are currently taking place has become increasingly difficult,” he added. “Nonetheless, it is incumbent upon the leaders to foster a more conducive atmosphere for the talks, by refraining from engaging in negative rhetoric about each other and the process and by preserving the confidentiality of the talks. In addition to preserving the integrity of the process, decisive action in this regard would also contribute to building public confidence in its viability which, at present, is low.”

According to Ban, President Demetris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu should focus their efforts on resolving the outstanding challenges.

“In particular, they must find a way to move beyond the existing deadlock on the election of the executive and advance more definitively on property and citizenship,” said Ban.

He added that while he understood certain aspects on the property issue could not be completely finalised until the maps and figures on territory are ready, the two leaders should at least reach some “simple and clear” common understanding.

“I note with satisfaction that the sides have embarked on the exchange of data on property foreseen in my statement following the second meeting at Greentree,” he said underlining that time was of the essence.

“The time for an agreement is now. The domestic, regional and international context is constantly shifting,” he pointed out. “The current window of opportunity is not limitless and there is little to suggest that the future will bring more propitious circumstances for a settlement. The United Nations remains convinced that if the necessary political will could be mustered on both sides, a durable settlement could be achieved in the interests of all Cypriots.”

Ban, who expressed full confidence in his Special Adviser Alexander Downer and his team to support such an outcome, said there was currently an impasse on the election of the executive.

An approach had been agreed by the two leaders on citizenship, while efforts were being made to reach common understanding on the property issue, he said.

“It is clear to both sides that full agreement on property will ultimately depend on the resolution of the question of territorial adjustment,” he added. “The two sides have agreed that maps and figures will only be discussed in the period leading up to the multilateral conference.”

Another crucial issue for Ban was how a settlement would be incorporated into European Union law, with both sides making proposals, none of which were accepted.

On the chapter of security and guarantees, internal aspects have largely been agreed, said Ban.

He added that it was up to the leaders to ensure negotiations lead to a successful conclusion.

“Accordingly, I have reassured the leaders that the United Nations does not seek to impose solutions. At the same time, I have repeatedly expressed my point of view that the negotiations should not be open-ended, as the longer the talks have been drawn out, the more disillusioned the public has become and the harder it has become to conclude agreements.”

The Secretary-General’s report, which was published by the Cyprus News Agency, was unofficially handed over to the UN Security Council and will be issued officially in the next few days, the Cyprus Mail reports.

Annexation a possibility

Turkey’s European Affairs Minister, Egemen Bagis, said that the main goal of Turkey and the TRNC was a solution to the Cyprus issue, but that, if a solution is not reached, then all alternatives are open to assessment, Ankara Anatolia news agency reports.

“Turkey and the TRNC wanted the comprehensive solution talks under the UN to be completed successfully. TRNC without Turkey and Turkey without TRNC are out of question”, he said, adding that Turkey would not abandon the TRNC.

Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily News reports that asked during a press conference if the TRNC could be annexed to Turkey, Bagis replied: “It might be an alternative. We are not drawing up a new policy on Cyprus. Our main goal is to reach a solution as soon as possible. But if we can’t come to a solution, nobody should expect Turkey will leave the Turkish Cypriots alone.”

Cyprus Government Spokesman Stefanos Stefanou said Bagis’ comments were “cynical, arrogant and provocative”.

“They are also insulting for the Turkish Cypriot community,” he added.

He said the statements reveal that Turkey is promoting the goal of partition and creating two separate states in Cyprus and that Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu had made similar comments recently.

Stefanou argued partition and annexation go against UN resolutions and called on the international community to put pressure on Turkey to respect UN resolutions on Cyprus.

“For the Greek Cypriot side, there is only one option on the negotiating table for a solution of the Cyprus problem, that of a bicommunal, bizonal federation with political equality as defined in the relevant UN resolutions,” he said.

The Cyprus Mail reports that Bagis told Turkish Cypriot newspaper Kibris at the weekend that Turkey would support any agreement reached by the two sides, but said that was only one of several possible outcomes.

"Reunification under a deal that (the two) leaders could reach, creation of two independent states after an agreement between the two leaders if they are unable to reach a deal for reunification, or annexation of the TRNC to Turkey," Bagis said, “are all the options on the table."

Many Turkish Cypriots oppose the notion of annexation. Turkey's NTV news channel quoted Ozkan Yorganciogly, leader of the main opposition Republican Turks Party (CTP), as saying the idea was unacceptable.

Talks won’t necessarily end in March

The UN is having second and wiser thoughts on whether to convene a multinational conference on Cyprus, believes Toumazos Tsielepis, one of President Christofias’ main advisors and a member of the Greek Cypriot side’s negotiating team.

In an interview in Politis today, Mr Tsielepis says that, in view of the fact that the positions of the Greek and Turkish Cypriot sides in Cyprus are getting further apart rather than closer together, progress looks exceedingly unlikely and the UN know very well what the reason is, namely the attitude of the Turkish Cypriot leadership.

He admitted that there has been a tendency on both sides to play the blame game, but stressed that the important thing was to find a way to make the process more substantial in order to reach a solution.

“If this proves to be impossible, then of course it is important that the reasons why we have reached a deadlock are put down in writing”, he added.

He said it was important that the UN evaluates the situation objectively. “We want the UN to call a spade a spade. And I believe the UN know exactly how things are”.

However, he added that such an evaluation would only occur at the end of the procedure. As long as the UN believed that the process could continue, he didn’t think they would allocate any blame.

He said that personally he didn’t believe the process would end in March. It might be interrupted for the presidential elections, but as there was no other way to solve the Cyprus problem other than through negotiations, all options should be exhausted.

Asked if there was tangible proof that the Turkish Cypriot side does not want a solution, he said unfortunately their whole attitude at the negotiating table especially as regards the property issue shows this to be so.

“What they are aiming for is an overall exchange of property”, he said. “From the data they have submitted, it seems that very few properties will be up for restitution”, he added.

He stressed that the UN have always played a role of offering their good services and have never tried to act as arbitrators or intermediaries. Occasionally their experts might put forward some ideas and each side is free to adopt them or reject them as they see fit. Their position, he stressed, is that they will not be arbiters. That process was tried and failed. It would not be wise to repeat it.

Mr Tsielepis admitted that significant convergences had occurred while Talat was negotiatingon behalf of the Turkish Cypriots, particularly in the huge and complicated chapter of governance, as well as that of the economy and the EU. However, he said, Talat would not be drawn into discussing the issue of territory. “While the issues of security and guarantees might have been rised at the negotiating table but would only have been agreed at a conference, then we could say that we had achieved considerable progress with Talat”.

“The problem is that the new Turkish Cypriot leadership has undermined all previous convergences with which it disagreed. This is the problem we are facing today. For example, while we had almost finished with the question of governance, I myself no longer know where we stand”.

Asked why agreement couldn’t be reached under Talat, Mr Tsielepis stressed: “We were making progress, but very slowly”.

He gave as an example that in the chapter on governance the only sticking point was that of foreign policy, where the Turkish Cypriot side’s position was in conflict with the principles of federation.

As regards why the convergences that had been reached weren’t announced and written down, Mr Tsielepis said this was because most of the members of the National Council felt that doing so would have been tantamount to reaching an interim agreement.

“Personally I don’t agree with that position, but that was the majority view”. However, he added, it was agreed that either side was free to announce what had been achieved so far, something that Mr Talat proceeded to do in great detail and quite objectively at a press conference.

Asked to explain information about a leaked document whereby Turkish settlers would be limited to a 4:1 ratio, Mr Tsielepis said that the aim of the Greek Cypriot negotiating team was first to safeguard the three freedoms of movement, settlement and acquisition of property, and second to limit the flow of Turks into the island after a possible entry of Turkey into the EU, a possibility that cannot be discounted. He said the Turkish Cypriot side said we could not have full freedom of settlement because that goes against the principle of bizonality as stated in the Makarios-Denktash agreement. Secondly they wanted to ensure that Turkish citizens have equal treatment as would Greek citizens, which they claimed was granted under the 1960 constitution.

“Under the circumstances”, he went on, “we had to choose between what was desirable and what was feasible. If we went with what was desirable and didn’t reach a final agreement, this would ultimately work against us because, in the event that Turkey joined the EU, something that cannot be ruled out, then we wouldn’t be able to set any limits at all”.

Therefore any limitations would have to be set with the solution, he said, or it would never be set. So the Greek Cypriot side suggested that there should be no restrictions to the freedom of settlement whatsoever, but that instead there should be a restriction as to where citizens would exercise their right to vote.

“We proposed that from a certain point onwards these rights should not be exercised on the basis of territory so that Greek Cypriots would not be able to take control of the Turkish Cypriot area. This way they should not deny us the freedom of settlement”.

As regards the equal treatment of Turkish citizens, he said, we could either have said no and then when Turkey joined the EU they would have got these rights anyway, or we could propose a limitation from now so that it remains in the future as well.

“We chose to go with the latter and set this limitation at 4:1”, he said. “This can be seen as a concession on our part at the time of a solution, but with Turkey’s entry into the EU it would become a concession for them”.

He added that this ratio hasn’t been written down anywhere because the Turkish side didn’t accept it. Instead the Greek Cypriot side proposed alternative ideas, such as that there should be prior agreement as to the number of settlers remaining in order not to change the demographic proportion or the future influx.

“Eroglu’s position is that ‘whatever you, Greek Cypriots get with the convergence document, you have it in your pockets, whereas whatever we get is all hypothetical’. That is the reality”, Mr Tsielepis concluded.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban-Ki-moon is going to submit his report on his mission of good offices in Cyprus to the Security Council at the end of the coming week, the Cyprus Mail reports.

According to UN sources, Ban will submit his report following the meeting his Special Advisor on Cyprus, Alexander Downer, will hold with the two leaders in Cyprus in the framework of direct talks scheduled to take place on March 8.

However, Downer will not be present during the discussion at the Security Council, as was initially planned. Such a discussion will probably take place in April.

A diplomatic source at the Security Council told the Cyprus News Agency that the Cyprus problem will not be discussed by the Council in March mainly because of the lack of progress in the direct talks.

The same source noted that because of the stagnant situation, Downer would not want to reply to questions by the members of the Security Council as regards his intentions regarding a multilateral conference on the Cyprus issue.
Other sources have said that the UNSG would call such a conference only if substantial convergences were reached, and that “he would not jeopardise his prestige with another failure”.

UN to submit proposals as last chance for Cyprus

The UN Secretary-General doesn’t want to hear about the Cyprus problem any more, writes Makarios Droushiotis in Politis.

Going through what all his predecessors did, from U Thant to Kofi Anan, Ban Ki-moon seems to have given up with Cyprus and is looking for a way out of the procedure before he gets even more exposed.

There is only five more weeks of life in the talks, namely until the end of March when Alexander Downer submits his final review to the UN S-G. If the report is positive then a multilateral conference will be convened, but if it is negative the talks will end there and then and he will give up his mission to the Security Council.

Last Thursday Downer had a meeting with the leadership of the Republican Turkish party (CTP). The following day two articles appeared in Yeni Duzen citing high ranking CTP officials as their source. These reports claimed that the UN S-G is so frustrated with the Cyprus problem that he supposedly said he never wants to set foot on the island. He gave so much of his precious time to Cyprus at a time when there are so many more serious problems that required his attention and the response he received was so disheartening and even demeaning to his person. As Kurt Waldheim wrote in his memoirs as regards the Cyprus problem, you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink.

The UN sets much of the blame on Dervis Eroglu because with his insistence on the issue of cross voting, he broke the momentum of the talks. However, they don’t consider Christofias to be chomping at the bit for a solution either. Christofias himself admitted the other day that the Greek Cypriot side was not convincing that it wanted a solution. What’s more they don’t forgive him, despite having been warned, for not having taken advantage of Talat being leader of the Turkish Cypriots, and instead dragging his feet. The UN S-G even went as far as paying a visit to Cyprus in order to push the process forward but Christofias dug in and let the visit fail.

After all that transpired before and after Greentree, the UN S-G has now decided to disentangle himself from the process, while giving it one last chance. According to Yeni Duzen, the UN will submit a package of proposals on the chapter of governance and property.

According to Droushiotis’ sources, the UN will simply try to help the two sides reach common positions, as they don’t consider the differences to be insurmountable. Nevertheless they believe that the chances of success are limited.

If there is progress in these two chapters, then the chapter on citizenship will open up, which is not as tough as it seemed at the start. The Greek Cypriot side reported that its total population is 630,000, while the Turkish Cypriot side reported 210,000, a 75-25 ratio, which is within the frameworks being discussed in view of the demographic changes that have occurred since 1974.

If all goes well, then a multilateral conference will be convened, preceded by a discussion on the territorial issue. A map similar to that in the Anan plan is expected to emerge.

The UN believes that in practice an agreement is feasible, but politically the game has probably been lost.

In the more likely scenario that the talks will collapse, Ban K-moon will submit his final report to the UN Security Council and his colleagues are indicating he will point the finger at who is to blame. As to what will follow, many scenaria are being put forward, but the choices are few.
- talks will continue just to keep the hope alive, an unlikely possibility
- talks will be postponed till after the election in 2013. In this case they would not continue where they left off. A renewed effort would probably aim at something much simpler and looser.
- The UN will shut shop in Cyprus and leave the Cypriots to discuss the “Cyprus-owned talks without asphyxiating deadlines and arbitration” for as long as they want
The final say will belong to the UN Security Council. The SC cannot ignore the recommendations of the S-G, nor can there be unanimity without satisfying both sides in Cyprus. A single negative vote would be enough for UNFICYP’s mandate not to be renewed, although it would be more likely that it would be further reduced and gradually withdrawn rather than a sudden withdrawal.

Things will become clearer this coming week when the UN S-G submits his interim report to the Security Council. It is expected that the report will be severe and will warn both sides as to the danger of the talks collapsing.

Nothing will be the same in Cyprus if the talks collapse, says Makarios Droushiotis in another article in Politis. The hope for a solution will completely disappear, especially in the hearts of the people living on the island.

Everything will depend on the UN S-G’s report. If he blames both sides equally and concludes that a bizonal bicommunal federation is unfeasible, recognition of the TRNC will be more difficult. Perhaps the situation will remain as it is until the climate allows for a looser federation.

It seems the Turks aren’t focusing on recognition at the moment. Turkey is more intent on controlling things by Turkifying the TRNC, either by appointing Turks in key positions or by expanding the islamic influence in a society which in essence is not very religious.

Moreover, Turkey is trying to weaken the unions and control the economy of this state, which is not economically viable, doesn’t produce anything, leeches on Turkey’s economy and is despised in Turkey itself. On the other hand, the Turkish Cypriots claim that Turkey never gave them the chance to be economically independent, and nor do they have the same opportunities in Turkey that Turks have in the north.

Turkey is trying to control the basic economic structure of the TRNC through large infrastructure projects eg, water transport, electricity supply, energy, tourism and by nationalising basic services.

This Turkification of the north is adversey affecting the interest of Turkish Cypriots who will soon find themselves facing the dilemma of either completely subjugating themselves to Turkey, emigrating, or moving south and living as a minority in the Republic of Cyprus.

South of the Green Line things are not so tragic in that the Greek Cypriots have at least managed to save their existence as a state. However, the Greek Cypriot presence in the north of the island is coming to an end becoming completely Turkish.

On a personal level it is the refugees who will pay the price and they are already running to the Immoval Property Commission selling their property for peanuts because the political system does not give them much hope for anything more. The situation is touch and go and the outcome of a collapse of the talks too enormous for it to have been handled for eight years now through a policy of “no deadlines or arbitration”. And if it is not turned back (it seems already to be too late), the result of the failure of the Cypriot political system, both to safeguard the integrity of the country and to handle the national tragic events of 1974, will be the complete Turkification of half of Cyprus.

Leaders discuss property

President Demetris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Dervish Eroglu, yesterday discussed the property issue and would continue to do so on Tuesday next week, the United Nations said.

UN special adviser Alexander Downer said data and papers on property exchanged by the two sides in the past were the basis of discussion.

“As for meetings beyond that, we will have more to say about that next week once the leaders have given some thought as to how they would like to proceed from next week on.”

Asked about the report Downer was due to write reviewing progress, he said he could not speculate on its contents.

“This is a report from me to the Secretary-General at the end of March on the way forward,” he told reporters. “Today is late February so in a month or so, I’ll be turning my mind to this challenging task of producing this report. But I don’t know what it will say. I simply can’t speculate on it at this stage.”

History repeats itself, says former minister Nicos Rolandis in an opinion piece published in the Cyprus Mail and Politis. We commit the same mistakes again and again and we pay the bitter price.

In 1922, he says, 2,000 years of Hellenism in Asia Minor came to an end as a result of huge Greek errors. Similarly in 1974 huge errors probably marked the end of the 3000 years of Greek Cypriot presence in north Cyprus.

The Cyprus problem is going enowhere. There is almost no rational voice around. One silly statement follows another. Populism prevails everywhere. Almost everything goes towards party interests, nothing for the country itself. At the end of the day it seems we shall be left with the UN resolutions and the occupation.

We went to Greentree with three ‘Nos’ in our luggage, constituting the apogee of inconsistency and stupidity. There was a ‘No’ to an international conference, which we were seeking with a passion a few years ago. I recall our jubilation in Moscow in October 1982, when we included it in the joint communiqué.

There was a ‘No’ to arbitration, which is included in Article 33 of Chapter 6 of the UN Charter, as an obligation of the member-states for peaceful settlements of disputes. Through this stand of ours we are contravening the provisions of that charter.

And there was a ‘No’ to “asphyxiating timeframes” (asphyxiating, after 38 years!). In other words we are after an open-ended dialogue, which is the perfect recipe for partition and eventual occupation of Cyprus by Turkey. Yet just a few years ago we were pleading for “a solution yesterday” and declaring time and again that “we, the victims of aggression, want a solution as soon as possible”.

Now, he said, the natural gas issue has been added and warns that, lest we think we are at the centre of the universe, we must not forget how dangerous Turkey can be. People forget, he said that Turkey was threatening to invade Cyprus since 1965 and eventually did so in 1974.

Rolandis suggests what he says could be a win-win situation for everyone. He proposes that as regards the Cyprus problem, all parties endorse the Anglo-American-Canadian Plan of November 1978 as nothing much has changed in all these years, though some adjustments will be necessary on issues like properties and the settlers. On the territorial aspect he proposes that the Gobbi map of 1981 be adopted, which had been accepted by the two big DISY and AKEL and the Turkish side was not averse either. As for the natural gas issue he proposes the best solution would be for to it to be sold and pumped to Greece and/or to Europe through Turkey as the most cost effective method.

As a result the Greek Cypriots would solve the national problem, while at the same time securing the most economic and profitable solution for their gas and settling the issue of the Turkish demands and threats. The Turkish Cypriots would solve the problem and become European citizens while also participating in the hydrocarbon bonanza. Greece would secure the best possible solution of a major national issue as well as acquire another source of supply and/or profitable transportation to Europe of natural gas. For Turkey the solution of the Cyprus problem would open the gates to Europe and would benefit financially from the transportation of the gas through her territory. Lastly, Europe and the international community would settle a problem, which has been a bleeding wound for the past decades.

As regards whether Greek Cypriots can trust Turkey and allow our gas to pass through her territory, he says if we do not trust Turkey after the solution of the Cyprus problem, then why have we been negotiating with the Turkish Cypriots for the past 35 years for a federal solution to our problem? If we do not trust the Turks after a federal settlement, then let us speak clearly. Let us support a two-state arrangement - the Greeks on one side and the Turks on the other. Because there is no other solution left, which can be negotiated.

Talks stuck in a loop?

There is no chance of going to an international conference on the Cyprus problem if the conditions set by the UN Security Council are not met first, President Demetris Christofias said yesterday, the Cyprus Mail reports.

Speaking after a two hour meeting with Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu, their first meeting since the two got back from talks with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in New York, Christofias said they had discussed procedural issues during which he clarified the conditions whereby the Greek Cypriot side would consider moving towards an international conference.

“I was given the opportunity to clarify that forcing the process was unacceptable and that if the conditions set by the Security Council itself are not met, then in no case will we accept an international conference,” he said.

“I clarified what we mean by international conference, what we consider the content could be, as well as its composition,” he added.

The president said he made it clear that should a conference take place, the Republic of Cyprus would have to be represented.

“First of all, the SG has not made it clear who he intends to invite. So, we want to clarify this issue,” he said.

On the issue of property, Christofias said he expected the exchange of data as requested by Ban to be completed very soon, adding, “and I hope that at some point we’ll find a common language”.

He noted that to date the delivery of relevant data by the Turkish Cypriot team has been “very poor”.

The talks currently appear stuck on the election of the federal executive, though no deal is in sight yet on the property chapter either, the Cyprus Mail says. While Christofias wants to deal with territory and property together to get a sense of how many refugees will have the right to return, Eroglu refuses to discuss territory until a date has been set for an international conference.

The Turkish Cypriot leader has shown a keen desire to move the process to its endgame, calling on the UNSG to convene a conference regardless of whether progress has been achieved or not.

The two leaders will meet again next Tuesday to discuss property and again on February 28.

The National Council is convening for two all-day sessions to discuss developments in the Cyprus problem following the recent meeting between the leaders of the two communities and the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in New York.

No statements were made after yesterday’s meeting during which Christofias reviewed the Cyprus problem, going over agreements made by previous presidents calling for a bizonal, bicommunal federal solution, in a bid to put things into perspective. Christofias suggested that veering from that framework would lead to partition.

Three parties expressed their positions - EVROKO, EDEK and the Greens – all more or less asking Chistofias to change his strategy.

Politis says that President Christofias defended his handling of the problem through a 50-page document and by saying that he himself improved things as compared to provisions of the Annan plan referring specifically to the executive power and the property issue. As regards the rotating presidency he said this would be not apply if the other side did not also accept cross-voting.

He recalled former President Tasos Papadopoulos’ statement that such plans never disappear saying that the talks did not start from a blank page since there had been previous commitments. He justified the course he had taken through a historical review starting from Archbishop Makarios and ending with Tasos Papadopoulos.

President Christofias rejected the call for a change in strategy by saying that this would be a disastrous choice. He insisted that a bizonal, bicommunal federation is a one-way street and warned of the danger of partition.

He also told the members of the National Council that an exchange of data had taken place as regards the property issue.

During today’s second all-day meeting DIKO, DISY and AKEL are expected to air their views.

Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu has raised the issue of secrecy at his meeting with President Christofias on Tuesday, expressing his unease at the Greek Cypriot side's leaking of the draft solution document to the press without exchanging views on it, Ankara Anatolia news agency reports.

In statements after the meeting, Eroglu said that the Turkish Cypriot side would continue to maintain secrecy, adding that their aim was to reach an agreement soon.

What really happened at Greentree

What happened at Greentree was that President Christofias managed to buy some time, says Makarios Droushiotis writing in Politis. The big decisions on the Cyprus problem have simply been postponed till the end of February when Alexander Downer will decide whether to call a multilateral conference.

Most observers in New York believe that the UN S-G will probably go ahead and call a multilateral conference leaving it up to each side to decide whether or not to attend. In fact the UN S-G was ready to do so at Greentree but agreed to allow for some more time in order to help Christofias.

As far as the UN is concerned, the prerequisites for calling a multilateral conference are already in place. The UN S-G himself said that only three issues remain to be settled – the election of the executive, the property issue and citizenship (the settlers). If it is true that just these three issues remain, then the UN is right, the Cyprus problem can be solved in a few hours. The fact that only these issues are being discussed before a final conference means that there are no other serious differences, and even these can be bridged.

The way a future President is elected is not a disagreement that can justifiably scupper the whole deal. The property issue has already been solved by the UN technocrats but is being kept open until the issue of territory is clarified, while the issue of the settlers is within the framework of maintaining the population ratios.

Thus the talks are within a hair’s breadth of reaching an agreement. Politically, however, an agreement is completely unrealistic. President Christofias has never admitted that there has been serious progress in the talks, nor has he ever done what the UN S-G had encouraged him to do, namely prepared the people for a solution, or even sought political alliances to help him work a solution. Instead, he is cultivating, even now, a climate of failure, or deadlock and mistrust of the other side, to such an extent that the people no longer trust him or his interlocutor. On the contrary, society is petrified of all the dangers that lie ahead.

Christofias went to Greentree with the National Council’s decision to say three ‘no’s’. Even though he had entered the endgame of the talks, he was still talking about not having asphyxiating deadlines and arbitration.

As expected, the Turkish side, aware of Christofias’ public reluctance to go to the next stage, came with specific proposals on all three open issues.They proposed that the system of cross-voting for the Senate (which elects the President) should come into force after 9 years (the UN believes they would be willing to come down to five, ie after its second term). On the property issue they submitted a package which conforms with the study of the UN experts. On citizenship they presented the recent population census which the UN accepted as valid.

Christofias discussed the question of the election of the President, extensively and some progress was achieved. He announced he was unprepared to discuss the property issue and used as an excuse the Turkish side’s delay in submitting data. On being pressured by the S-G to reply, he said he wanted time to think and study the data in Cyprus. He also said he did not want the talks to end in failure. Ban Ki-moon’s intention was to either call a multilateral conference or declare a failure. In the end a compromise was found giving Christofias the extra time and Eroglu the indirect date for a conference.

The S-G’s reference to the UN Security Council resolutions is just a sweetening of the pill in order to allow Christofias to handle the situation in Cyprus. According to the paper’s sources in New York, the UN S-G will call a confence without the prior approval of the Security Council. The UN Secretariat has received legal advice confirming that the UN S-G does not require approval for the initiatives he takes. Of course, holding such a conference does presuppose the approval of the two sides in the sense that he cannot order them to attend, but can only invite them and they can refuse if they choose.

Christofias, however, has said that he believes that the talks will continue even during the time of the EU presidency, which shows his lack of political judgement and how disconnected he is with reality.

In an opinion piece, Makarios Droushiotis says that the Cyprus problem is on a knife’s edge. The whole of the international community wants a soution before Cyprus takes on the EU presidency. The collective hullaballou might serve the internal political game as it has been played since the 30s, but all this shouting and negativity has resulted in us step by step losing half of Cyprus and now preparing to legalise partition under the worst possible terms.

A solution in the immediate future is unfeasible because there is no leader willing to bear the responsibility or accept the challenges and the risks and lead society into a new era. Eight years ago Christofias told us he just wanted two or three changes to the Annan plan, now he is talking of no timeframes and has become the laughing stock of diplomatic circles.

Christofias is not up to this task and is hiding behind the mantra of no asphyxiating timeframes. But events have passed us by. The European Union, irrespective of Turkey’s EU course, is fed up of the Cyprus problem. The German representative at the Security Council during Downer’s briefing, linked the talks with the EU presidency. But his statement was suppressed, while all the political parties attacked Downer, the British and the Americans, because that’s what they have been trained to do for decades now.

Christofias’ claim that he can control the procedure through the Security Council is yet another sign of his ignorance of international politics.

Turkey without trying too hard has managed to persuade everyone that it is in a hurry for a solution, while the Director General of our Foreign Ministry was rushing over to the State Department to explain why we didn’t want a multilateral conference and deadlines. The scene is set for them to put the blame squarely on us.

The only ones able to save us are the West and Downer, who is going to write the report on the failure of the UN initiative and decide on our future. It would be wise to try to prove Davutoglu’s predictions wrong regarding the recognition or semi recognition of the north. Our politicians are trying tooth and nail to prove him right. The tragedy is that we mistake this cannibalism for the national struggle.

The Sunday Mail’s satirical column Coffeeshop says that paranoid hysteria and mass anxiety spread like a cholera epidemic among the Cyprob warriors, as soon as Ban Ki-moon finished reading the statement about the failure of the Greentree meeting and the timeframes he had set for the completion of the talks and for the holding of the colossally undesirable multilateral conference.

Within minutes, the knives were out for the bungling village idiot, who, despite being strengthened by the three ‘nos’ sanctioned by the National Council, failed to utter a single one of them (or if he did, he was ignored) when Ban set his timeframes for the conclusion of the talks.You almost felt sorry for the comrade as his embarrassingly moronic plan for ‘never-ending talks despite his sincere wish for an agreement’ collapsed and now he has to wear an oxygen mask to cope with the asphyxiating timeframes and double his police guard because the bash-patriotic warriors are baying for his blood. Two of them have already called for his resignation, while others have demanded that he should step aside and allow someone else to be our side’s negotiator.

Being the coward that he is, the comrade has gone into hiding since the Ban statement, leaving his Akel flunkeys to take the heat and defend his incompetence, as happened after the Mari blast. He may even address the nation this week and announce the appointment of an investigating committee to establish who was politically responsible for the Greentree fiasco.

The comrade spoke briefly to Cypriot hacks, immediately after Ban’s shocker, and defiantly told them that there was no timeframe for a multilateral conference. Ban was merely expressing his intention to call a conference but only under certain conditions, he claimed, which meant ‘late April or early May’ was not a timeframe.

The real timeframe was at the end of March when Ban would ask Big Bad Al if there was adequate progress to call a conference and Al would answer affirmatively, on the grounds that there would never be any progress in the talks and because the EU wants a settlement, at all costs, before Cyprus takes over the EU presidency.

This was evident, when Big Bad Al briefed the members of the Security Council about the Greentree meeting. Germany’s representative was extremely pushy telling Al to get on with it and make sure there was a deal by the end of June, because the EU does not want to have to deal with the intractable problems that would arise if a divided Cyprus took over the presidency.

The comrade gave instructions that no mention of what the German representative had said was included in the report sent to Cyprus foreign ministry about the Security Council meeting. He did not want anyone in Kyproulla to know that his friend Angela Merkel fully supported the timeframes and the multilateral conference.

Since Greentree, the presidential camp has been engaging in the only thing it knows how to do – propaganda, claiming that there were no timeframes, and that the attacks on the great leader were motivated by “political expediencies and personal ambitions, while the national interest is relegated to secondary importance.”

Meanwhile the bash-patriots have been out in force creating Annan plan conditions, in preparation for the multilateral conference. The only risk is that the paranoid hysteria may have peaked too soon. Big Bad Al whom we all love to hate, has become the target of universal abuse, vilified as a totally biased Turk-lover that eats Greek babies for breakfast, garnished with tomatoes illegally imported from Turkey.

All the parties have been demanding that he be replaced immediately, because he is to blame for everything. Meanwhile the bash-patriotic tree-hugger Perdikis has undertaken a brave initiative. He has been in contact with all the parties in order to persuade them to support a House of Representatives’ resolution, declaring Downer “untrustworthy and undesirable.” The resolution will follow a debate in the House on Thursday about “the dark role played by Downer in the Cyprus problem.”

The Greek Cypriot side’s proposals revealed

The Greek Cypriot sides wants the return of Morphou, Famagusta and the line that connects the two towns including villages like Asha, Vatyli, Lysi, and Kontea, as well as part of the Karpas peninsula, Sigma TV station reveals.

The Greek Cypriot side proposes that the territorial adjustments should be such that in all 100,000 refugees would be able to return under Greek Cypriot administration, something that would in turn also greatly facilitate the property issue. In essence that would leave the question of how the property of 60,000 Greek Cypriot refugees under Turkish Cypriot administration would be sorted out.

Furthermore, the Greek Cypriot side wants that after a transitional period all Cypriots should be able to enjoy the four freedoms without exception. In other words, a Greek Cypriot should be able to buy a house or open a business in Kyrenia, with the only difference being that he would not have the right to vote in Kyrenia so as not to affect the balance in the Turkish Cypriot federated state.

The Greek Cypriot side has set a ceiling of 50,000 to the number of Turkish settlers who would remain and become citizens of the United Republic of Cyprus, as Sigma calls it.

As regards the question of the executive power, President Christofias made it clear that if Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu does not reaffirm what had previously been agreed with Talat, namely the rotating presidency with weighted cross-voting, he would go back to the previous Greek Cypriot position of Greek Cypriot president and Turkish Cypriot vice president.

Finally, the Greek Cypriot side under no circumstances will accept that the solution become EU primary law, as the Turkish side wants.

Sigma goes on to say that there was high drama just before the UN S-G made his statement and the precondition for calling a multilateral conference was added only after President Christofias’ insistence. Moreover, according to a diplomatic source, President Christofias made it clear to Ban Ki-moon that if he ignores the Security Council resolutions and our side’s positions and proceeds to call a multilateral conference, then he will call on the countries in the Security Council that support Cyprus not to adopt any of his reports again and even adopt a resolution that exposes him. The source added that the S-G assured him that he has no intention of ignoring the Security Council resolutions on Cyprus.

Comments on Greentree 2

President Christofias in a statement after the end of the Greentree 2 meetings, said that, while the agreement to exchange data is progress, in essence no progress had been achieved.

He said that many discussions were held during the meetings with the Secretary General without any progress being achieved. “The two sides insist on their positions”, he said.

However, he expressed satisfaction that the UN Secretary-General’s statement included their concern that any progress achieved should be significant progress, which would solve the internal aspects of the Cyprus problem, as provided by the Security Council resolutions, before discussing the possibility of convening an international conference.

On the question of government he said the differences were not just on the election of the executive power, but also on foreign relations, international relations, and the issue of the air space.

He said the two sides must exchange specific and significant data concerning the property issue and, at the same time, discuss the territory issue.

“Not necessarily to present maps”, he said. “This is not what we are asking. We are asking for the Turkish Cypriot side’s intention as regards our basic demand for territorial adjustments. Namely, that 100,000 refugees since 1974 ought to be offered the possibility to return under Greek Cypriot administration and to have full ownership of their properties. This will greatly help us discuss with an open mind and heart the issue of property, which concerns the areas that will remain under Turkish Cypriot administration”.

He said that the Turkish Cypriot side did submit some data on property outside the deadline that had been set, which can be found on the internet. A commitment had been undertaken by the two sides at the first meeting at Greentree to create a committee which would discuss specific data confidentially but unfortunately the Turkish side did not respond.

He stressed that the property issue had been linked to the territorial issue throughout the discussions and gave credit to the Secretary General because in all of his interventions and positions, as well as in those of his aides and team, the connection of the territorial and the property issues had been emphasized.

President Christofias said he had made it clear to the Secretary-General, as was decided at the National Council, that a timeframe for the international conference is not acceptable.

He added that the Secretary-General in his statement expresses his intention to call a conference under certain specific preconditions, namely that there is important progress, which will meet with the Greek Cypriot side’s approval and which will be recorded by Mr Downer.

“We will have a say, and the Secretary-General will consult with us on whether this progress exists and on whether a conference will be convened, always under the precondition set by the UN Security Council, namely that the position of the Secretary-General will be consistent with the last resolution as well as with all the other UN resolutions regarding the convening of an international conference”.

The Turkish Cypriot side expressed mild satisfaction at the outcome of the Greentree Summit yesterday, saying they were leaving New York having achieved much of what they’d set out to do, the Cyprus Mail reports.

“If the Special Representative’s report at the end of March is positive, Ban will call for the five-way conference to take place in late April or early May,” Turkish Cypriot leader Dervish Eroglu’s special representative Kudret Ozersay said immediately after the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon gave his assessment of the summit yesterday.

“As the Secretary General pointed out, this will happen whether or not the Greek Cypriots oppose it with the excuse that all internal issues had not been resolved,” he added. "We leave this summit having achieved what we came for."

The Turkish Cypriot side had stated before the summit that getting a date for a multi-party conference would be seen as a major breakthrough, as it would herald the final stage of the talks ahead of a referendum. Although a date is still conditional on the special advisors report, Eroglu believes that “the conference is closer to happening today than it was yesterday”.

The representative seemed less pleased however with how the Turkish Cypriot side’s proposals on property, citizenship and the electoral system had been received by the Greek Cypriots, saying that “if they had been better received, there would have been more progress”.

“We thought our proposals would be acceptable to the Greek Cypriot side and that we’d be able to bridge the differences. The UN thought so too,” he added.

Eroglu’s spokesman Osman Ertug echoed Ozersay’s assessment but told the Cyprus Mail that Christofias and his team had refused to even read the documents presented by the Turkish Cypriot team.

“They politely accepted them and said ‘we’ll read them when we get back to Cyprus’. This is nothing more than a delaying tactic,” he said.

As Ban Ki-moon was making statements in New York, in Nicosia Greek Cypriot politicians were busy slamming UN envoy Alexander Downer for supposedly referring to the ‘Greek Cypriot’ EU presidency’ rather than using either the ‘Cyprus’ presidency or the Republic of Cyprus’ presidency’, says an article in the Cyprus Mail.

House President and leader of socialists EDEK Yiannakis Omirou denounced the comment saying it was unacceptable, and flagrantly violated all the resolutions of the UN Security Council on Cyprus, the UN Charter, international law rules and the principles and values of the EU.

DIKO described Downer as the “great subverter” and called for his immediate removal otherwise the UN would be in a difficult position when it came to safeguarding their credibility and impartiality.

AKEL leader Andros Kyprianou said the comment was not accidental as Downer knew well that it was the Republic taking over the presidency.
However, the official transcript of Downer’s remark, obtained by the Cyprus Mail, the UN envoy made it clear he was only referring to the ‘Greek Cypriots’ in the context under which they are referred to by the UN in the negotiations.

He said: “… I think it’s very important that the two leaders do make substantial progress and as you know the Greek Cypriots take over the presidency of the European Union on the 1st of July. This will be a major responsibility for them. I know the whole of the European Union, that’s 26 other countries including some very big countries, will be looking to the Greek Cypriots, as we say in the context of these negotiations, to carry forward the presidency of the European Union.”

Former President George Vasiliou sees the two week deadline for progress in Cyprus, not as pressure on us, but as pressure on Turkey.

“As long as Downer's report says there is progress and if the progress is consistent with the Security Council resolutions, only then will he consider a multinational conference”, he said in an interview on Sigma television.

“Downer has a responsibility to write a report which shows that any progress that has been made has been consistent with the Security Council resolutions. What is Downer going to do if the Turkish side insists, as it has been, on two states, two air spaces, two this and two that? What can he say?”

Asked if this new scenario of a two week deadline, an upgraded role for Downer and the looming threat of a multinational conference scares him, he replied:

“What scares me is that 37 years have passed without a solution and voices are being heard today saying, since we've waited 37 years, we might as well wait for another 37 years”.

He said we must understand that time is working against us. As long as the international community supports the principles that President Makarios and subsequently the whole of the political leadership for a federal solution, we must take advantage of this support, otherwise the result will be destructive for Cyprus. “I can't stress this enough", he said.

Referring to the upgraded role of Alexander Downer, he said “we must stop always blaming third parties. It used to be de Cuellar, then Ghali, then de Soto. Things aren't like that. We have to stay steady on our positions and be persuasive”.

What has changed, he said, is that pressure on Turkey has increased. When the interviewer asked, whether the pressure was on our side because of the deadline, he said it isn’t to our advantage not to have a solution. Asked what if we're pressured to agree to a bad solution, he said that a bad solution was relative.

“There are many people who don't want federation”, he went on. “Let them say so openly. And let the people decide. Do you know what not wanting federation means? It doesn't mean partition as many believe. It means that our grandchildren will not live in a Greek Cyprus”.

President Christofias was partially correct in predicting that nothing would come of the talks in Greentree. There was no breakthrough in the deadlocked procedure while the progress achieved, according to the UN Secretary-General, was ‘limited’ despite the ‘intensive and robust’ discussions, says the Cyprus Mail in its editorial today.

What did come out of ‘Greentree 2’ was a change of peace procedure, as the three ‘nos’ Christofias was authorised to utter by the National Council were ignored by Ban Ki-moon. He set definite time-frames for the completion of the talks and the holding of a multilateral conference and implicitly offered UN mediation - if not arbitration - to assist the sides to bridge their differences.

Christofias was extremely naive if he seriously thought that he would be able to secure Ban’s agreement for the indefinite continuation of the talks at Greentree. In fact, Ban’s frustration and loss of patience with the two sides was blatantly obvious in the statement he read out yesterday. The diplomatic wording could not conceal this frustration with Christofias and Eroglu, who had ignored his urging ‘to make decisive moves’ that would pave the way to a settlement.

He would no longer be directly involved in the procedure – there was no mention of any other meeting with the leaders – leaving everything in the hands of his Special Advisor Alexander Downer, who would decide if there was adequate progress by March to justify the calling of a multi-lateral conference in late April or early May.
As Ban stressed, it was down to the leaders to ‘make the decisive steps to move to a final agreement.’ In what was a clear dig at Christofias he said: ‘At this stage of the talks, to maintain the momentum and continue negotiations even in an intensive manner, is not enough.’

The only thing, Ban did not mention in yesterday’s statement is what would happen if Downer reports in March that the leaders did not make the decisive steps, the differences in the core issues remained and that a multi-lateral conference would be pointless. In statements made yesterday, the Turkish side took the view that the failure by Ban to call a multilateral conference by May would signal the end of the procedure.
This interpretation is not unjustified, given that Ban has repeatedly spoken about the ‘endgame’ while also informing Christofias and Eroglu, more recently, that ‘talks have entered the final phase’. Christofias remained oblivious to all these messages, assuring journalists, last night, that there was no time-frame for a multi-lateral conference.

But he conveniently failed to mention the time-frame for the end of the peace procedure.