Akinci wins presidential elections in north

A leftist moderate promising to press for a peace deal in Cyprus swept to victory in the Turkish Cypriot presidential election runoff yesterday, the Cyprus Mail reports.

Mustafa Akinci, standing as an independent, won 60.3 percent of the votes, against his rival incumbent president Dervis Eroglu who received 39.50%.

In his first speech after his victory, Akinci said he would stand by everything he promised during the election campaign. He will follow a pro-solution policy on the Cyprus problem backed by confidence building measures, Turkish Cypriot daily Detay reports.

Addressing his supporters in Inonu square in northern Nicosia after the results were announced, Akinci said that nothing could stop change because the people were determined to make the change and thanked all the parties which supported him.

Akinci said that President Anastasiades had called to congratulate him and added that they will have a meeting soon after the “formalities” are over. “This country has no more time to lose”, he stressed. “We would have liked the generations before us to have solved the problems of this island. This did not happen. If we cannot solve them either, then they could become a bigger burden for the generations after us. I told him that and he shares the same view”.

In a message to Turkey, Akinci said that he wants that their relations be based on mutual respect.

Moreover, Turkish Cypriot daily Afrika says that Akinci had said his approach would be one that protects the rights of the Turkish Cypriot people, but tries to understand the point of view of the other side as well, showing empathy.

Akinci added: “There has been much pain in the past,” he said. “But we were not the only ones who experienced this, the community in the south also experienced pain. It is time to heal our wounds. The past generations shared this pains. Let the future generations share the blessings of this island.”

The Cyprus News Agency reports that UN Secretary General`s Special Adviser on Cyprus Espen Barth Eide, also congratulated him and said he will be in Cyprus between May 4 – 8 to continue preparations for the resumption of peace talks.

Akinci’s election gives hope for reunification, says President 

The election of Mustafa Akinci to the leadership of the Turkish Cypriot community gives hope that at long last Cyprus will be reunited, President Nicos Anastasiades said on Monday following Akinci’s landslide victory, the Cyprus Mail reports.

He also sent a message to Ankara to contribute towards a solution because “it is Turkey which occupies Cyprus’ northern areas.”

“We extend our hand, not to have it assaulted, but to have it accepted,” he said, and expressed the conviction that there will be cooperation for the good of the country.

Akinci victory sparks war of words on Twitter

Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci’s election victory on Sunday sparked a flurry of discussions on Twitter, with some in the Greek Cypriot political elite going against the grain of renewed hope for a settlement to the decades-long conflict, the Cyprus Mail says.

Prominent hardliners – DIKO leader, Nicolas Papadopoulos, and Yiorgos Lillikas, head of the Citizens’ Alliance, were criticised not only for their refusal to congratulate the winner, but also through posting openly undiplomatic responses on the issue.

Immediately after Akinci’s win was announced on Sunday night, Papadopoulos tweeted his take on the result, setting the stage for what was to follow.

“Those who claim that the Cyprus problem will be solved because the Turkish Cypriot negotiator has changed are simply exculpating Turkey,” he said.

This was immediately countered by DISY member Michalis Sofocleous, who criticized Papadopoulos for lack of common courtesy.

“Not even for appearances,” said Sofocleous, director of the ‘Glafcos Clerides’ Institute. “Congratulate the man on a human level first!”

Unfazed, DIKO’s leader answered the question with a question. “Why exactly should I congratulate the occupation leader?” Papadopoulos asked. “Has he returned our properties?”

This sparked a number of remarks and comments, ranging from the sarcastic to those bordering on abuse.

Citizens’ Alliance leader Yiorgos Lillikas was even more confrontational, and drew his share of flak.

In response to a tweet by Omer Tilli, which claimed that “several fellow countrymen Greek Cypriots are with us at Inonu square – come and see what hope is”, Lillikas had only sarcasm to offer.

“I know what hope is… and I know what delusion is… I hope I am wrong,” he replied.

Predictably, it was not long before he was met with criticism.

“The brothers [Yiorgos Lillikas, Nicolas Papadopoulos and Yiannakis Omirou] started singing the familiar tune, that Turkey decides for everything!” user Active citizen wrote.

Once again, Lillikas opted for sarcasm. “I imagine you have never heard of Turkish occupation,” he replied. “If someone ever brings it up, just ignore him.”

But unless Lillikas was going for sparking interest in his Twitter account – under the doctrine “there’s no such thing as bad publicity” – this quickly backfired.

“This is populism and sarcasm that does not honour you,” user Mattheos Mattheou responded. “At last, get serious.”

Eide: economic zone is not sovereign territory

UN Special Adviser Espen Barth Eide, in an interview with the Cyprus News Agency yesterday, said a country’s economic zone (EEZ) is not sovereign territory, the Cyprus Mail reports.

“There is the legal argument that is very strong on the Republic of Cyprus side, which is that the Republic of Cyprus is a country like every country and it can declare its economic zone. After all, nobody has exploited it, by the way. It is a question of how much a violation has actually happened because many countries do not see seismic exploration as a violation as long as it doesn’t lead to exploitation. Because the economic zone is not sovereign territory, anybody can  basically do anything there but for taking out the resources. But that’s a very technical issue,” he said.

The other argument, he said, from the Turkish Cypriot side was that the hydrocarbons of Cyprus belonged to all Cypriots “and one side of Cyprus cannot just venture into making all decisions that will have a kind of an eternal effect on everyone without consulting with the other side.”

“So, there is a legal argument and a political argument. And this actually illustrates the deep problem of the Cyprus problem. It’s essentially contested what is the Cyprus problem. Is it a hijacked state, or is part of the country occupied? And we know that we will never get a full agreement on that. But you can get to full agreement on how you reunify. So the hydrocarbon crisis is in essence an illustration of the deep disagreements that lies behind the whole understanding of what the Cyprus problem is,” he added.

Asked if a gesture on the part of Turkey, for instance, the opening of ports/airports and other measures, to Cyprus that would be conducive in helping the process move forward, Eide said “the other side in the negotiations is the Turkish Cypriot side, not Turkey”.

“Of course Turkey has an interest in this for obvious reasons but the negotiations are between the two communities on the island.”


To a question by CNA that the problem was the actual division of the island which is maintained by Turkey, Eide said: “Again, this is part of the essential contest, that’s a dimension of it, another one, if you are a Turkish Cypriot is that back in the sixties a state that was supposed to be a state for Greeks and Turks was hijacked by one side and turned into more of a Hellenic state.”

Eide said he did not want to go further into the issue, saying for a long time  people had been living with “different readings” on why the Cyprus problem existed. He said he was more concerned with how it could be resolved.

Asked why he considered the current effort to see the talks resume as possibly a last opportunity, the Norwegian diplomat said:  “Of course, I am not saying that if we have some trouble in three months and a temporary suspension that that’s the end of the day. I am saying in the broad sense I think we have had a very serious crisis with the hydrocarbons, they illustrate that some of these problems, in the absence of a solution, and I sincerely think that it is important now to grasp this moment and try because if there is a will, there is a way. He added that it was not that there was no will “but I don`t think there was sufficient will”.

“I really trust [President] Anastasiades that he actually wants this to happen. Of course, he has a difficult political environment which we can all see and I also feel that there is a very strong urge now for a lot of people on the Turkish Cypriot side to get out of a very strange situation that they are now in.
”

Eide said the impatience of the international community on all sides, was becoming more and more evident. “that there is a feeling that this really cannot be allowed to go on any longer, we cannot have this unresolved, because it is fundamentally unresolved.”

“It’s not like neutral. It’s an open issue that has not landed and there is in principle only two ways to land which is reunification or separation.” 
Eide said he wanted to maintain the optimism that  the problem could be solved and this, he said, was based on a lot of conversations with a lot of people in Cyprus and elsewhere.

Regarding the introduction of confidence building measures, Eide said “they are good but my focus is not on that. My focus in the UN is the talks themselves on the substance, on the core issues, not fringe issues, because I know that if we solve all the core issues, then everything else will follow.”

For instance, he continued, “a unified Cyprus will be recognised by Turkey, of course, and then the ensuing state will have the same access to ports in Turkey as every other state, the hydrocarbon issue is not any longer a conflict issue but a cooperation issue because both sides already agreed that it’s a federal capacity in a new state. So, a lot of these issues are issues because of the division and will actually evaporate once a solution is found. Because they are expressions of the division.”

Asked if the core issues would be dealt with first, he said when the talks restart they would cover core issues, property, territory, governance and power sharing. “We are taking difficult issue by difficult issue and seeing how we move forward.”

To a question as to whether there was a timeframe or deadline, Eide said “2015 is the border framework we are operating inside. I don’t want to say a particular date because the date will become a point in itself but the sooner the better. And this is also what the leaders say, they want to solve this the sooner the better.” 
He said Cyprus could be “a stable, wealthy, interesting, positive place, an example to the world for overcoming past difficulties through peaceful negotiations.”

It would also attract a lot of investments as an ideal location for people who want to be engaged in the Middle East but do not want to actually be based in the Middle East.” 
The island would eventually, he hoped “be able to capitalise on its natural resources and so on, and have an economy that is not driven by political decisions but by rational economic choice.”

“And I think that`s a great future but you can only find it by working with other Cypriots,” he concluded.

Furore

Eide’s interview to CAN created a furore on the Greek Cypriot side particularly his statement that the exclusive economic zones (EEZ) were not sovereign, and his comment as to what defines the Cyprus problem.

Government spokesman Nicos Christodoulides said in a written statement that the Republic had already made “very strict demarches,” which he deemed “unacceptable”.

UN clarifies

The UN issued a written statement on behalf of Eide clarifying two points.

“ The SASG [Special Adviser of the Secretary-General] has never intended to make any kind of judgment about the competing narratives about the roots of the Cyprus problem. He was merely referring to the well-known fact that there is more than one perception about what the core of the issue is, and that while Cypriots may continue to disagree about the past, they should look ahead and aim at agreeing about the future,” the statement said.

On the issue of the EEZ, the statement said : “The SASG has repeatedly underlined that the Republic of Cyprus has exactly the same right to declare an Exclusive Economic Zone as any other sovereign state, and that its rights in this regard should be fully respected by other states. A passage in the interview could leave the impression that he relativizes this basic right, established in the United Nations Law of the Sea Convention, which is obviously not the case and which was never his intention.”

Straight talking is all very well if your audience is ready to listen

                       

UN Special Adviser Espen Barth Eide was doing so well, says an editorial in the Cyprus Mail. He announced on Tuesday that Cyprus talks would be resuming after the elections in the north, which will be held on April 19.

A day later he found himself in the doghouse, not only with the usual suspects – the rejectionist parties – but with the government after an interview he gave to the Cyprus News Agency.

Two comments he made raised hackles. In one, he tried to play down Turkey’s forays into the island’s EEZ effectively saying it was no big deal.

His second ‘offence’ was when he tried to define the Cyprus problem, saying: “It`s essentially contested what is the Cyprus problem. Is it a hijack state, or part of the country is occupied?”

The government immediately made strong demarches, and the political parties trotted out the usual song and dance they perform when a foreign official doesn’t follow the Greek Cypriot party line.

At the time of writing yesterday afternoon we had lauded Eide for his sensible straight talking, saying that it was refreshing to see a UN interlocutor not afraid to be scrutinised over what he said in the hard-core Greek Cypriot media, which routinely eats UN envoys for breakfast.

The UN had not issued any ‘clarifications’ or statements that Eide had been ‘misunderstood’ or tried to smooth things over for the good of the negotiations, which indicated that he was ready to stand by what he said and not be cowed.

This viewpoint was short-lived. Late last night Eide issued a statement saying he had been ‘misrepresented’. Interestingly he did not say he had been misquoted but merely tried to clarify that he had not intended to make any kind of judgment about the competing narratives on the Cyprus issue, and also that Cyprus’ EEZ should be respected by other states.

With all the past experiences of his predecessors it is hard to believe Eide did not know that everything he said would be nitpicked to death, even though he did not say anything that was terribly shocking.

Straight talking is all very well if your audience is ready to listen and understand what you are trying to do. But in Cyprus, neither side wants to hear the other’s point of view. That’s why the Cyprus issue has not been resolved.

In their own ways, the sides in Cyprus ‘can’t handle the truth’ and anyone who speaks it is labeled ‘an ambassador for Turkey’ by the Greek Cypriot side or ‘pro-Greek by the Turkish side.

The unfortunate reality is that for the sake of the negotiations it is sometimes best not to give more ammunition to the political parties who are just looking for an excuse to pressure President Nicos Anastasiades into not returning to the talks.

Talks to restart

UN Special Advisor Espen Barth Eide has announced he expects talks on the Cyprus problem to resume after the Turkish Cypriot elections later this month, the Cyprus Mail reports.

Speaking after separate meetings with the leaders of the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities, the Norwegian diplomat said they both agreed the “circumstances were now right” for the resumption of negotiations.

“I see no obstacle to a very early resumption of talks once the election process in the north of Cyprus is done,” Eide said.

“The stated reason why talks could not happen are gone, at least for the foreseeable future,” Eide said,”and that that makes it possible to prepare for the resumption of talks in a structured, results oriented and fast manner.”

He said Mr Anastasiades had informed him that, in view of the fact that the NAVTEX had expired and will not be renewed, and that there is no overhanging threat,  he was ready to lift the suspension of his participation in the talks and that he looks forward to engage in constructive dialogue with whoever emerges as the Turkish Cypriot leader after the elections in the north on April 19.

He said that both leaders had agreed to pick up from where they left off and called on all Cypriots to realize that this is a decisive moment, not only for political leaders, but also for everybody living on this island.

“I strongly feel that 2015 is going to be a decisive year,” Eide stressed. “The conditions are in place.”

He also stressed that while some Cypriots believe that their problems are other Cypriots, that’s fundamentally wrong. “The problem Cypriots share is the absence of a settlement which is one of the reasons why a lot of young people leave the island, why investments that could have happened are not happening, why the benefits of economy of scale cannot be reached to their full potential, and why it has been very difficult to prepare for this hydrocarbons phase of Cyprus history.”

He said it’s time to think strategically and not tactically, and not only at the leaders’ level but across all elements of society, and understand that this is an opportunity that has to be grasped.

“It is a window of opportunity. We do not necessarily talk of deadlines, but the window may not be open forever.”

“This country has to find a solution after 51 years. It’s possible. We have difficult months ahead, but there is nothing - I repeat nothing - in all the chapters that I know now quite well which I deem as unresolvable. 
Every single issue can be solved if there is will, if there is dedication, and if that will is sustained as we go through all the chapters and eventually bring in the international community in some kind of final stage,” he concluded.

Greek Cypriot response

Government spokesman Nicos Christodoulides said the Greek Cypriot side was ready to withdraw its decision to suspend its participation in a bid to create the prospects that will allow a solution of the Cyprus problem through honest dialogue without threats and intimidation, according to the Cyprus Mail.

Christodoulides said talks could not start immediately in view of the elections in the north.

“In the meantime,” he said, “we will have the chance to verify the assurances Mr. Eide has conveyed” that Turkey would not repeat last year’s actions.

The spokesman said there was no written assurance from Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan.

“He (Eide) brought a message from the Turkish government.”

The spokesman said progress in the talks, if any, would emerge at the negotiating table.

“That is where we will judge, that is where we will be able to say if there are prospects for a positive conclusion,” Christodoulides said. “We will work towards that direction that is our objective; political will is also needed, but also specific actions from the other side.”

Ruling DISY leader Averof Neophytou said dialogue was the only way of breaking the deadlock.

“Do we have an alternative? Do we have the capability of freeing our country through a different way?” Neophytou said, referring to the naysayers.

The DISY leader said the easiest thing was to say no.

“No to insolvency, no to foreclosures, no to the first haircut, no to dialogue, no to privatisations, no to reforms,” Neophytou said. “Yes, but it is high time the people who permanently say no to say what they propose instead.”

DIKO said resumption of the talks should not entrap the Greek Cypriot side further “in a vicious cycle of a fruitless procedure.” EDEK said the reasons why the Greek Cypriot side withdrew from the talks were still there. AKEL expressed support for the start of the talks.