National Council and Denktash funeral

The National Council convened on Monday and set the framework for the way the Greek Cypriot side will handle the forthcoming Greentree meeting on the Cyprus problem.

“The framework includes the non-acceptance of deadlines, arbitration, or the convening of an international conference without agreement on the core issues related to the internal aspects of the Cyprus problem,” said government spokesman Stefanos Stefanou, in a rare joint statement following the three-hour all-party meeting. “For convening such a conference the consent of both sides is required”.

Stefanou stated that there had been a consensus among most of the parties, however, there were some differing opinions particularly regarding the holding of an international conference.

“When we have the support of the National Council on the talks, the president becomes even more powerful,” added Stefanou.

The statement added that from President Christofias’ briefing it was clear that no progress had been made since the two leaders’ last meeting with Ban.

DIKO head Marios Garoyian, however, said that the party stood firm on its opinion that the Greentree meeting should have been postponed, “because certain essential requirements have not been met, there has not been progress in the negotiations and of course Turkey has not fulfilled its commitments to the UN,” the Cyprus Mail reports. DIKO’S firm position is that a meeting at an international level cannot take place without agreement on internal aspects of the Cyprus problem, he said.

House President Yiannakis Omirou echoed a similar sentiment in giving his full support to the framework under which it was decided that the president would proceed at Greentree, but he described the risks as “huge, very clear and real”.

“We agreed that after Greentree the National Council should meet again to discuss an alternative national strategy to address any deadlocks that we may have been led to unfortunately due to the handling [of the talks] during the last year,” said Omirou.

UN Special Advisor Alexander Downer met with Turkey’s Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu in Ankara yesterday and according to the Turkish News Agency Anadolu discussed possible outcomes of the Greentree meeting.

UN chief Ban Ki-moon sent the letters inviting the two unwilling leaders to New York in what is believed to be his last attempt to force them into an unhappy marriage, says the Cyprus Mail’s satirical column Coffeeshop. The comrade’s camp was so disappointed with letter’s content - asphyxiating time frame and multi-party conference - it was in denial for the first 24 hours.
The Turkish media reported its arrival and contents, giving an opportunity for the comrade’s sidekicks to imply there had been a UN plot - the Turks received the letter before us, they protested as if this were a big diplomatic conspiracy. All the hacks made an issue out of this instead of asking the obvious question, “So what?”
This suited the government’s propaganda purposes, as all talk was about the late arrival of the letter rather than its content. And when politicians or hacks mentioned its content the comrade and his spokesman expressed outrage, that they were citing the interpretations of the unreliable and biased Turkish media.
But they were still not prepared to release the letter so that we could learn the truth and not have to rely on the misinformation spread by the Turks.

Had there been a UN conspiracy? The UN insisted that the invitations were sent out at the same time, so it could be that the comrade’s flunkeys did not check their boss’ Inbox on Saturday morning to see that it had arrived. Or perhaps the plan was to pretend the comrade had never received it and therefore not go to New York next weekend, claiming that he had not received an official invitation. Eroglu messed up this plan by leaking it to the Turkish media. On Friday the comrade wrote back to Ban accepting the invitation, while expressing reservations about the usefulness of the meeting in the light of Eroglu’s intransigence. It was sheer bad lack that Rauf passed away after the reply had been sent. Had he died a bit earlier, the comrade could have declined Ban’s invitation on the grounds that it would be disrespectful to hold negotiations so soon after the death of Denktash, while the Turkish side was still in mourning for him.

Everyone now is terribly worried about what will happen at Greentree. Our entire ruling elite are terrified of what would happen, particularly if the comrade is forced to agree to a multi-lateral meeting. It is difficult to understand why they are taking the whole thing so seriously, given that the cowardly comrade would never sign a deal. The worst thing that could happen would be that our side might be blamed for the collapse of the negotiations and there would not be another UN initiative. This must surely be a cause for celebration, especially by all those who were against the talks from day one and warning that we were heading for the closure of the Cyprob.

The column also bids farewell to Denktator Rauf Denktash, former lawyer, politician, community leader, pseudo president, terrorist, ultra-nationalist fanatic, committed Greek-hater, amateur photographer, big eater, English School old boy and Paphite.

Described as smart and witty by those who met him, he was also a ruthless, hard, arrogant and belligerent personality with dictatorial tendencies and the belief that he always knew best.
Denktash was the most successful politician Kyproulla ever produced as he was the only one who achieved his long term goals - to partition the island and set up an ethnically pure Turkish part controlled by Turkey. His achievement might not have been in the best interests of the Turkish Cypriots who are on the way to becoming a minority in the north, but Rauf never much cared for them, making no secret of the fact that his allegiances were with Turkey and that he would not be bothered if all the Turkish Cypriots were replaced by Turks in the north.

A Greek uber-nationalist skettos drinker referred to Rauf as the “last Greek politician on the island”, because he unwaveringly believed in the centuries-old enmity between Greek and Turk and was convinced that the two communities could never live together peacefully. The bald and overweight warhorse never subscribed to modern ideas like conflict resolution, confidence-building, healing of past wounds and other such nonsense, considering it a national duty to maintain the historic hatred, hostility and suspicion that poisoned Greek-Turkish relations for centuries. Like a true Greek nationalist he never believed there was a Cypriot national identity, memorably saying that the only true Cypriot inhabitants of the island were its donkeys. And he spoke as much on behalf of the Greek Cypriots when he slammed re-unification by repeatedly stating that you could not have a successful marriage between two unwilling partners. The problem was that as long as he was the leader of the Turkish Cypriots and blocked all re-unification attempts, the Greek Cypriots could live under the illusion they were willing partners. Only when Rauf was unceremoniously dumped by Ankara and the way was opened for the marriage, did we realise that he was right - we were unwilling partners as well.

The funeral of Rauf Denktash is the main topic covered by the Turkish Cypriot press today. The papers refer to the participation of a large number of Turkish and foreign officials at the funeral and to the messages of condolences from various organizations.

Turkish daily Hurriyet covers the funeral on its front page under the title “Farewell to a hero” and reports that a crowded delegation of Turkish officials, including President Abdullah Gul, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan as well as other government members, participated in the ceremony.

Kibris reports that Denktash was buried yesterday after a ceremony and a religious service following the noon prayers at Selimiye Mosque. Soil brought from Turkey, from Hala Sultan Tekke in Larnaka and from his son Raif’s gave was sprinkled onto his grave.

In his message in the book of condolences Turkish President Abdullah Gul said Denktash’s death was a great loss for the entire Turkish world and added that the biggest heritage that his life dedicated to the just cause of the Turkish Cypriot people is undoubtedly the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

Prime Minister Erdogan said that Denktash’s death “is undoubtedly a painful loss for Turkey as much it is for the TRNC people. However, the struggle launched and carried out with courage by Denktash in Cyprus will be become struggle of the citizens of the TRNC and Turkey with the same sincerity and will be carried on with the same determination”.

Turkish Cypriot daily Yeni Duzen reports that no Greek Cypriot politician attended the funeral and only former President Glafkos Clerides and the MP of the Maronites Antonis Mavrantonis sent a wreath.

Kudret Ozersay, special advisor of the Turkish Cypriot leader, has said that the Turkish Cypriot side will go to Greentree following the directions of the course drawn up by the UN Secretary-General, Kibris reports.

Ozersay claimed that the Turkish side could not do this alone and added that what they could do is to force their interlocutor to “dance with them” with the proposals they will submit, even though this interlocutor “is not very much willing to do so”.

Ozersay argued that prior to the Greentree summit both sides know what the other side could accept on specific issues and added: “This food has been cooked long enough. What should be done from now on should be to enter into a give a take in the real sense at the Greentree meeting”.

He said that after the first summit at Greentree many meetings have been held and added that during these negotiations the issues of property, the election of the federal government and the international agreements which could be made by the constituent states were discussed. He further noted that some debates were also made with UN officials on the issue of citizenship.

Ozersay argued that even though not much progress was achieved at the talks held after the first Greentree summit, the preparation which was made could constitute the grounds for a give and take at the second Greentree.

Ozersay said the fact that both sides submitted a document to the UN, which could constitute the basis for a give and take, and some other developments indicate that the procedure has come to a critical point. He recalled that before the Annan Plan the UN had also asked the sides to submit similar documents.

Noting that it is possible for the process to collapse, Ozersay alleged that President Christofias does not want to use the word “give and take” because he sees the give and take process as a point of giving concessions.

Replying to criticism that the Turkish Cypriot side is negotiating on Turkey’s directions, Ozersay said that the Turkish Cypriots are the ones negotiating all six chapters except those of security, the international dimensions of the guarantees and the withdrawal of troops. “We need no one’s permission”, he said.