Moaners and groaners

1. UNFICYP demining Ledra Street

The United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) will begin demining Ledra Street to enable the opening of the crossing point. UNFICYP spokesperson Mr Jose Luis Diaz told the Cyprus News Agency yesterday that “we expect to start very soon with the demining team to go in and make sure there are no unexploded ammunitions” and that it would last just one or two days.


2. Disy says stop moaning

Disy President Nikos Anastasiades called on all those "habitual moaners (griniarides)" to get over it and focus on the substance of what is happening in the Cyprus problem. He said all those who are grumbling over whether or not the 8 July procedure was adhered to by the two leaders aren't helping in the common aim. He urged people not to get stuck on semantics and look ahead to the substance. He added that he hoped that all would go well and that the same spirit and goodwill that was shown at the Talat-Christofias meeting will also be shown in the meetings today. He said as long as Disy are kept informed and as long as they agree with the way things are handled, they would continue to support Christofias. He said his forthcoming dinner with Mr Talat on 8 April will not just be a social get together but an opportunity to discuss our common vision. "Not a negotiation, of course", he added, "as others have that responsibility".

3. Diko

House President Mr Karoyian said that at the moment there is no cause for "either excessive optimism or pessimism", and that we must remain calm and steady in order to implement our policies. He said that Diko insists on the implementation of the 8 July agreement because it considers it the only procedure that would prepare the ground properly. "Our aim is that through the negotiations and progress that will be achieved, direct talks between the two leaders can start.


4. Denktash

Hurriyet reports that former Turkish Cypriot leader, Rauf Denktash has warned Talat not to give up sovereignty. “The state to be established must be based on two sovereign states. The TRNC must be kept alive”, Denktash said and added: “Christofias must completely abandon the views of him being the only leader of a known state and member-country of the EU. Otherwise, he cannot negotiate with Talat on an equal footing. During all negotiations Christofias must not have contacts with other countries using this attribute. Otherwise, there is no equality”. Moreover Politis also reports that Denktash warned that the G/C side wants to eradicate the TRNC and get rid of Turkey's guarantor rights in Cyprus and recalls that Christofias has even clearly stated that that the T/Cs must separate from Turkey. He also reminded Talat that he had sworn to protect and promote the TRNC and called on him to remain bound by his oath. "In the event that an agreement is not reached based on the realities in Cyprus, Cyprus will become Greek in ten years time," he said.


5. Turkish press

Semih Idiz writing in Milliyet says that despite the new hope, caution is needed in Cyprus. He says that Christofias used words which gave rise to hope in his statement to the BBC before his meeting with Talat. But the real work starts now. Because the positive atmosphere created during the beginning of this new procedure must continue during the discussions on the truly difficult and complicated issues. At the same time, the Greek Cypriot side is now known to have an extreme allergy to the ‘Annan Plan’. If they do not want the revitalization of the Annan Plan, they must understand that concepts like “bizonality”, “bicommunality” and “political equality” which are included in the basis of this plan, will be components of any kind of solution.


Hurriyet's headlines read “The comrades agreed”, “Ledra Street is opening”, “M. Ali Talat got what he wanted”.


Emine Kart writing in Istanbul's Zaman on Sunday says the meeting between the two leaders gives rise to cautious optimism in Cyprus. The writer says the communique after the meeting left a bitter taste for a senior Turkish Cypriot official who said he believed Talat had walked into what he called "the 8 July ambush." "The mountain gave birth to a mouse. What did Talat agree on? He basically agreed to the July 8 agreement, which was a tool used by Papadopoulos. No substantial groundwork has been laid and there is no need for an oracle to guess whether such ground will emerge after these three months," the same source told the paper. Asked why Talat had caved in to such a position despite all of these facts, the official said there were many reasons, such as loss of focus on the Cyprus issue in Ankara due to its own domestic problems, whereas for Athens, the Cyprus issue remained a top priority. In contrast Associate Professor Mensur Akgun, director of the foreign policy program at the Istanbul based-Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation, played down worries and said "The upcoming three-month period will serve as a confidence-building measure not for the Turkish Cypriot side, but for the Greek Cypriot side". Akgun told the paper: "Commitment to ensure that the right atmosphere prevails is necessary for this process to be successful. In connection to this, confidence-building measures are essential, both in terms of improving the atmosphere and improving the life of all Turkish and Greek Cypriots. The so-called 'blame game' must end, as Gambari had said at the time". Moreover, prominent foreign policy analyst Sami Kohen also sounded hopeful concerning the result of the Friday meeting, though he underlined that this was cautious optimism. "A window of opportunity has been opened. Even if it is not big, certain steps have been taken and the actors have changed. Meanwhile, the Greek Cypriot side seems to be feeling itself obliged to act in a pragmatic manner since they are apparently afraid of a permanent division of the island," Kohen told the paper. "The results were the best possible result; we couldn't have expected anything more than that as a starter," he added.


Turkish Cypriot columnist Hasan Hasturer, writing in Kibris says that the issue of how authorized Talat is during the negotiating procedure should be clarified both in northern Nicosia and Ankara. While the cheque of Christofias can be cashed with one signature only, the cheque of Talat is not yet with one signature.