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.
Wednesday 14 March 2012
Tuesday 6 March 2012
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.
“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.
Monday 5 March 2012
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”.
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”.
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