UN issue second denial

The United Nations team in Cyprus once again denied press reports yesterday that UN Special Adviser Alexander Downer had sent either a letter or email or any form of communication to the European Commission opposing the Greek Cypriot request for greater EU involvement in the peace talks, the Cyprus Mail reports.

Asked to respond to an article in yesterday’s Alithia, which cited diplomatic sources saying the letter to Barroso came in the form of an email, UN spokesman Michel Bonnardeaux said: “There is no email nor letter or any other such communication to that effect.”

President Nicos Anastasiades refused to put the rumours to bed, instead hinting that relations with the UN Good Offices, and with Downer, have taken a turn for the worse.

Asked to comment on the initial report of a letter sent by Downer to Brussels, the president said: “No comment.”

When called to comment on the UN’s rebuttal, he replied: “Again, no comment.”

Speaking to the Cyprus Mail, diplomatic sources have questioned the reasoning behind the fuss kicked up over correspondence which the UN is adamant did not take place.

One source said there appeared to be a coordinated effort by some to discredit Downer. Since Anastasiades took power, the Australian has come under heavy criticism. Another source said the president’s ire might have been prodded when Anastasiades met Barroso in Brussels, and the EU official reportedly told him that Downer had expressed some reservation about greater EU involvement.

If the government does have any gripes with Downer, he’ll have a chance to find out for himself when he arrives on the island next Monday for a new round of meetings. He will meet Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu separately as well as the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot negotiators, Andreas Mavroyiannis and Osman Ertug, respectively.

According to Cyprus News Agency, prior to his arrival, Downer will meet UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in New York.

In the meantime, both negotiators continue to lock horns over the wording of a joint statement which Anastasiades says has to lock down the basis of the talks and the methodology that will be used to reach the desired result.

Anastasiades yesterday briefed party leaders at the Presidential Palace on the latest developments in the Cyprus problem and, specifically, his recent visit to Brussels.

Speaking after the briefing, government spokesman Christos Stylianides said the negotiations on a joint statement were “important and tough”, expressing hope they would conclude as soon as possible.
“The goal is to have the best conditions so that the talks start right and conclude with the desired result,” he said.

Meanwhile, the AKEL leadership met with a delegation from the Republic Turkish Party (CTP), after which the two released a joint statement, saying: “AKEL and CTP agree that the talks must resume at the leaders level without any delay, respecting the basis of the negotiations as described in the joint statements between Christofias and Talat and the convergences achieved so far and focusing on the remaining issues.

“We believe an important window of opportunity exists to reach a comprehensive settlement which must be used effectively.”

Attacks on Downer harm the Greek Cypriot side

An editorial in the Cyprus Mail says even if the government had a legitimate reason to be unhappy with Downer’s decisions, why has it made it a public issue and not tried to resolve the matter, privately, through diplomatic channels? It is not as if there was any need to turn people or the political parties against the deeply unpopular Australian, who is already treated as public enemy number one.

Even if we accept that Downer had expressed his objection to greater EU involvement in the talks to Barroso orally, by sign language or by smoke signals, what did the president hope to achieve my making the information public? Would he achieve his objective of greater EU involvement by stirring more public hostility towards Downer? On the contrary, all he has achieved is to undermine his own credibility and standing as a sensible leader committed to a settlement, in the eyes of the UN and the international community.

It is not the first time he has directed his fire at the UN. A few months ago, he wrote an indignant letter to the UN Secretary-General, accusing Downer of trying to ‘upgrade’ a dinner he would host for the two leaders. It was an embarrassing overreaction – his fears more imaginary than real – but he was given the benefit of the doubt. But now he has turned on the UN for a second time, it could spark fears that he has a hidden agenda. Perhaps he will soon realise that these public attacks do much more harm to himself than to Downer or the UN.