The Cyprus Mail reports that efforts to resume the peace talks are
ongoing with the US playing a much more active role, in an attempt to bridge
the gap between the Greek Cypriots, Turkish Cypriots and Turkey on the draft
text of the joint communiqué.
The US Ambassador in Cyprus
John Koenig is believed to be acting as a go-between, sending messages from
Ankara to the Presidential Palace in Nicosia and back on the draft text.
Koenig and to a lesser degree
British High Commissioner Matthew Kidd have taken on a greater role in the
peace effort in recent months, in contrast to the more subdued presence of the
US and UK the previous five years.
The two diplomats are in
frequent contact with President Anastasiades, Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis
Eroglu and UN Special Adviser Alexander Downer while the foreign secretaries of
both the US and the UK, John Kerry and William Hague, have had direct contact
with the Turkish leadership in Ankara to specifically discuss efforts to
conclude on a joint communiqué.
The heightened diplomatic
activity between Nicosia and Ankara has troubled Eroglu, who was at pains to
stress that the Turkish Cypriots are the ones calling the shots, in close
cooperation with the “motherland”, Turkey.
According to the paper’s sources,
the Turkish government and Eroglu do not always see eye to eye on the peace
talks, with Ankara’s positions believed to be more aligned with those of Turkish
Cypriot foreign minister Ozdil Nami.
Turkey’s high-level involvement
in the talks was made clear when Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu
visited Eroglu on December 14, the same day a new draft proposal on the joint
communiqué was submitted to the UN.
Anastasiades rejected the
draft and sent back a revised version which Eroglu rejected. Efforts continue
to find a middle ground on the wording of the joint communiqué.
Following a rare invite,
Eroglu went to Ankara on January 15 to meet with the Turkish leadership and
discuss the Cyprus problem, the immoveable property commission in the north and
economic issues.
On Thursday, Turkish Cypriot
prime minister Ozkan Yorgancioglu and Nami were also in Ankara to meet with
Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan.
Yorgancioglu returns to the
north today, accompanied by Turkey’s Deputy Prime Minister Besir Atalay,
Minister of Forestry and Water Affairs Veysel Eroglu and Energy Minister Taner
Yildiz.
The three ministers will
attend a ceremony in occupied Kyrenia on Saturday where a foundation stone will
be laid to mark the installation of infrastructure to receive a water pipeline
connecting Turkey with the occupied areas.
According to a Turkish Water
Ministry announcement, the necessary infrastructure will cost 123 million
Turkish Lira (€40m) and include a water purifier, which will purify 200,000
cubic metres of water daily, and a pipeline from Kyrenia to Nicosia. Also, 160km
of water distribution pipes will be installed in the Kyrenia area.
The ministry notes that on completion of
the project, 75 million cubic metres of water a year will be transported to the
north, of which 50.3 per cent will be potable and 49.7 per cent used for
irrigation purposes. The project is expected to cover the needs of the north
for the next 50 years, said the announcement.
UNFICYP renewed
The UN Security Council (UNSC)
yesterday unanimously approved a resolution renewing the mandate of UNFICYP for
a further six months.
The Security Council expressed
disappointment that official negotiations have yet to start and calls on the
sides to agree in a meaningful way to move forward as soon as possible.
No comments:
Post a Comment