The decision was just short of
unanimous, with the Greens nominating diplomat Tassos Tzionis instead. AKEL
meanwhile had reservations about the creation of the post itself.
The National Council also decided
to keep the seven existing working groups which advise the Greek Cypriot
negotiator on the Cyprus talks, and to establish a number of ad-hoc sub-committees
that would assist the interlocutor in actual negotiations.
The Council will next meet in the
autumn before the United Nations General Assembly, when it will deal with
‘substantive issues’ such as discussing an outline for a settlement.
Negotiations with the Turkish
Cypriot side under UN auspices would likely resume in October, Government
Spokesman Christos Stylianides also announced.
The paper says that the mechanics
of the triangle chief negotiator-President-National Council remain to be
fleshed out. Some observers wonder whether the interlocutor will be more of a
ceremonial or proxy position. One political commentator, who preferred not to
be named, predicted the new arrangement would most likely complicate rather
than simplify decision-making.
“One person will say ‘A’, the
other ‘B’…it’s a perfect recipe for getting nothing done,” the source told the
Mail.
Moreover, under the new regime at
the National Council introduced by Anastasiades, any resolution is binding on
the President if there is a 75 per cent support for it (each party would
represent the percentage it received in the last parliamentary election).
Asked what would happen in the
event the President happens to disagree with the 75 per cent regardless, the
government spokesman said the President reserved to right to call for a
referendum.
Also yesterday, the body rejected
a request by the ‘Citizens Alliance’, a newly created political platform headed
by former presidential candidate Giorgos Lillikas to take a seat on the
National Council, as it did not meet the minimum criteria of having at least
one person elected to parliament. However, the President would invite Lillikas
to the Palace for briefings from time to time, Stylianides added.
President playing a risky game
An editorial in the Mail says it
is difficult to see the appointment of a Greek Cypriot negotiator as a step in
the right direction, especially if the objective is to reach a settlement
within a reasonable period of time. In fact, removing the leaders from the
negotiating process is more than likely to cause delays as no decision would be
taken and the appointed negotiators would have to consult their respective
bosses before agreeing or finalising even the most trivial issue.
Only AKEL expressed such concerns
at Tuesday’s National Council meeting which appointed career diplomat Andreas
Mavroyiannis as negotiator. President Anastasiades had pledged during the
election campaign to appoint a negotiator, presumably in order to keep his
hard-line allies at DIKO who did not trust him on the Cyprus problem on side.
He also made another minor
concession to the National Council, by making decisions with 75 per cent
support binding, thereby turning the National Council from advisory to
decision-making body, even though he would only need the support of the DISY
leader, who represents more than 30 per cent of the voters, to prevent any
decision from being binding. While this may just be a tactical manoeuvre, there
is still a growing sense that the Cyprus problem will from now on be handled by
committee – not a good sign.
On the president’s suggestion,
six working groups or committees dealing with the main issues of the
negotiations such as territory, property, security etc would also be set up to
assist the National Council and negotiator. It is as if the peace talks would
be starting from scratch and the working groups would have to come up with new
proposals for every chapter. But what new ideas could they come up with after
three-and-a-half decades of talks. One newspaper, quoted former president
George Vassiliou, on hearing about the working groups, as asking: “Do you not
want a settlement? Are we going to start from the beginning?”
Perfectly legitimate questions
any rational person would have asked on hearing about the appointment of a
negotiator, the decision-making powers of the National Council and the setting
up of working groups to assist both. Perhaps the president hopes these
concessions to his hard-line allies would keep them on side while the
negotiations are in progress, but it is a risky game, in which he could find
himself trapped.
Not starting from scratch
The President will not start
peace talks with the Turkish Cypriots from scratch, Foreign Minister Ioannis
Kasoulides said yesterday.
Speaking to CyBC, the Minister
said that Anastasiades wanted to revise a limited number of issues that were
agreed in past negotiations, a view shared by the majority of parties.
Kasoulides said these issues were
“not many”, and even if they are raised at the negotiating table, “that does
not mean the talks will start from scratch”.
Eroglu: last chance for a Cyprus
solution
The negotiations on the Cyprus
problem due to start in October will be the last chance for a solution, Turkish
Cypriot leader, Dervis Eroglu, has said according to Turkish Cypriot paper Star
Kibris.
“If we reach a result with the
negotiations which will start in October, the Cyprus problem will be solved. If
not, the realities which exist today will continue”.
Negotiations could not continue
forever, he said, because the Turkish Cypriot people have run out of patience.
“What we want now from newly elected leader Anastasiades is for us to solve
this problem within one and a half to two years”.
He repeated the view that Turkish
Cypriots would never give up on Turkey’s active and effective guarantees on the
island, saying: “We are not interested in the guarantees of the EU, because no
one except the Turks will send their children to a military expedition for the
protection of the Turks of Cyprus and sacrifice their lives.”
My vision is to see Turkish troops board their ships and
leave Cyprus, President says
“We
will do everything to secure a dignified solution”, President Anastasiades said
speaking at a ceremony honouring the dead from the coup and Turkish
invasion yesterday.
“Of
course it is not only up to us. But as far as we are concerned, we will not
spare any effort in order to succeed”.
He
recalled a recent interview he gave to a Turkish newspaper, in which he said
that the Turkish side must also realize that there is pain among the people of
Cyprus. “There has been violent uprooting, dead, injured, fear. A solution must
overcome these negative feelings. This is what will secure the viability of the
solution, and not only the adjustments on paper”.
He
stressed that the solution must be accepted by the society which will be asked
to implement it and live with it. “The solution must satisfy society’s sense of
justice, it must not generate additional insecurities and must be compatible
with the EU acquis communautaire, which constitutes the safest foundation for a
just solution under the circumstances. In this effort I will seek to have on my
side, if possible, the entire political leadership and I look forward to having
the support of society itself”, he said.
“I
started my political career among the ruins of Turkey’s invasion. My vision,
now that the people have honoured me with their vote and have assigned to me
the responsibility of handling our national issue, is to see the Turkish troops
boarding the ships and getting out of Cyprus. To see refugees returning to
their properties and to our land that is now under occupation”.
Obama: Cyprus division has gone on too long
The United States continues to
support efforts under the auspices of the UN to reunify Cyprus as a bizonal,
bicommunal federation, US President Barack Obama has said, adding that
"the island’s division has gone on for far too long", the Cyprus’
Financial Mirror reports.
Receiving the credentials of Cyprus`
new Ambassador to the US Georgios Shakalli, on Thursday, Obama said "we
recognise your hopes to end the division of Cyprus through a just and lasting
settlement," adding that "we firmly believe that a mutually acceptable
settlement is in the best interests of the people of Cyprus, and we hope the
parties will finally end the tragic division of the island."
"The US stands ready to provide
assistance that both sides would find useful to achieve a solution," he
added.
