Four day long National Council meeting ends

A meeting of the National Council which was held over four days in order to discuss the direct talks between the two community leaders, ended yesterday with a joint resolution confirming the Greek Cypriot side’s basic principles and goals for a solution to the Cyprus problem.

President Christofias and party leaders agreed on the strategies to be followed regarding Turkey’s prospective EU accession, taking its EU evaluation in December into consideration. The Council resolved that if Turkey fails to comply with its obligations towards the EU, specifically those concerning Cyprus, then “it won’t be left unhindered to continue its accession process, without sanctions”.

Government Spokesman Stefanos Stefanou said the Council had reconfirmed its perseverance to find a peaceful solution based on UN resolutions and the High Level agreements of 1977 and 1979 for a bizonal, bicommunal federation with political equality. Such a solution must achieve unity of the country, the people, the institutions and the economy and should comply with international justice, European principles, communal law, as well as human rights’ conventions.

“The United Republic of Cyprus must have just one sovereignty, international personality and citizenship, and must be an evolution of the Cyprus Republic,” said Stefanou. It must also include the departure of the Turkish occupying forces and settlers with ultimate aim Cyprus’ complete demilitarisation and removal of the British bases. The resolution calls for the restoration of the basic freedoms and human rights of all Cypriots, including the refugees’ right to return to their homes and properties. In addition the solution must be a product of agreement between the two leaders and not the result of pressure from the abroad. Only such a solution can be sent to a referendum. Any forms of arbitration or timeframes are excluded.

The Council furthermore supported the positions and efforts by President Christofias in the negotiations’ procedure, for an urgent inventory of the population, properties and land use. It also supports the President’s efforts to achieve a moratorium in the exploitation of refugee properties and to output the so-called citizenship of the pseudostate,” Stefanou explained.

Finally, the resolution “rejects and excludes any form of a solution that will lead to the legalisation of status quo or a solution for two separate states”.It was noted that even though the resolution was commonly agreed on by all parties, there are issues where they maintain they own positions.

The National Council meetings were marred by a number of documents being leaked to the press.

AKEL leader Andros Kyprianou said he was saddened by the fact that some had tried to leak the documents submitted by AKEL at Tuesday’s meeting, and in a distorted manner.“We believe the leaks in the National Council ruin the climate, provoke unnecessary conflict between us and in the end undermine our negotiating capabilities,” he said. DISY leader Nicos Anastassiades was forced to release his party’s documents to the public in a press conference the day before yesterday after confirming that the leaks in the Council were distorting the truth. “When I hear, for example, that DISY proposed to suspend Turkey’s evaluation in December… I am obliged to give a press conference giving the documents verbatim, at least those relating to Turkey’s evaluation,” said Anastassiades. EVROKO leader Demetris Syllouris also revealed he had information that someone had leaked National Council documents to foreign ambassadors and UN officials.

Meanwhile, the leaders of the two communities in Cyprus have decided to increase their meetings at least for October.

President Demetris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat talked for 90 minutes on Thursday, their second meeting inthe second phase of negotiations.

“They plan to meet next on 7 and 8 October and also on 14 and 15 October,” UN special envoy Taye-Brook Zerihoun said after the meeting. “(They) have decided to keep this accelerated pace – to meet at least twice – in the coming month. This is quite positive and they are up-beat about it themselves,” Zerihoun told reporters.

In the meantime representatives and experts from both sides will meet to discuss the proposals submitted by each side on the executive with a view to narrowing differences or coming up with bridging ideas.

Speaking after the meeting, Christofias said they had decided to hand over their “improved” proposals concerning governance to their experts for processing. “There is a change by the Turkish side on the issue of the executive authority,” he clarified.

The Turkish Cypriot side had proposed that the president and vice-president of the new state, created after the problem was resolved, should be voted by the senate. “We have a different view. We want the president and vice president to be voted by the people,” Christofias said. Talat said the proposals were referred to the experts “to try, if possible, to bridge the two.” Christofias also said it was likely that in the next meeting the two leaders would most likely discuss the property issue.

The two men met again on Friday to discuss the bridging proposals on the chapter of governance, specifically the election of the President and Vice-President of the United Republic, which they submitted at their last meeting on September 10.

The UN’s Special Adviser on Cyprus, Alexander Downer, is currently in New York for a series of meetings on Cyprus, though he had to cut back his trip from seven days to two, the reasons for which remain unknown.

Moreover, the Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation has reported that the re-elected European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso is likely to appoint Leopold Maurer to follow the talks to ensure that any solution remains in line with the EU acquis communautaire. The unconfirmed reports said Maurer was most likely chosen for his in-depth knowledge of Cyprus, having represented the EU during accession negotiations with Cyprus before its 2004 membership.