Downer: out of crisis comes opportunity

UN Special Envoy Alexander Downer said yesterday that real progress can be achieved over the next few weeks if the talks go well.

“It is important that we really invest a lot of time and energy in the talks this week and we hope that this will be productive”, he added.

Speaking after a one hour meeting with President Christofias, Mr Downer told the press: “I had the opportunity to talk to him about the intensive phase of the talks that we are in. I am looking forward to the talks tomorrow and then there will be another round of the talks on Friday before we have a two-week break for the holidays”.

Asked how it is possible for the talks to move forward when the Turkish Prime Minister Mr Tayyip Erdogan said that he will never give back Morphou, Karpasia and Famagusta, Mr Downer said: “When we get to these issues, the property and territory, all these questions will be discussed and at the moment as you know we are talking about governance and power sharing and we are focusing on those issues and after the holiday break will get back into the territory and property issue and it will be opportunity to canvas on those sort of questions”.

Replying to a question on whether these kind of statements help, Mr Downer said: “Not surprisingly, from our point of view, in the UN, it is probably best if we don't express publicly every sentiment that may rush through our veins, at any particular time”.

“We are more outcome-oriented”, he added. “We don't get into commentary on everything everybody says .I think it wouldn't make sense if we set ourselves up as commentators on everything every Prime Minister in the region says”.The UN yesterday said that progress towards a Cyprus solution would be good for Cypriots amid the difficulties the country is currently going through.

Commenting on the deadly blast on July 11 that killed 13 and destroyed the island’s main power station causing an energy crisis he said obviously this has affected people but it was necessary to look ahead and focus on the future.

“Out of crisis comes opportunity, and it is always worth remembering that no matter how bad the setbacks, you need to march forward, you’ve got to deal with the problems and you’ve got to live in the future, you can’t live in the past and it is important when things do go wrong to try to turn that adversity into opportunity as best as you can”.

Asked if he believes that President Christofias is capable of turning the current crisis into an opportunity and how this can happen given the internal domestic political situation, Mr Downer replied: “I think that if the talks can go well, if we can make some real progress over the next few weeks, particularly between now and the 21st of October, then that will be very positive and I think that will have a positive impact on public confidence as well, which you know at a difficult time like this it is understandably a little bit down; people are very depressed about what happened on July 11th, but this is one of the things that the President and the Government has to do, it has to try to solve the Cyprus problem, a solution has been elusive a long time, and it is important that everything be done to try to achieve a successful solution to this problem, that's what we want in the UN and so it’s tough times in other ways, we don't offer any real comments on that, but we say it is all the more incentive to try to solve the Cyprus problem”.

Meanwhile Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan has promised structural changes and major projects to boost the north’s economy.

In a televised address on Saturday, Erdogan discussed the new Turkish constitution, the economy, terrorism and the Cyprus problem.

“We have very important projects for north Cyprus and they will change the face of the country. I would like to mention once again that Turkey will neither allow efforts targeting the TRNC nor will it negotiate with the EU or any other party on the Cyprus issue.”

He blamed the Greek Cypriots for the lack of progress in the talks, saying: “I made very sincere and fruitful contacts with the TRNC authorities during my visit and I think the Turkish Cypriot side is making sincere efforts at the negotiations to reach a bi-communal, bi-zonal federal solution in the context agreed before. This was proved at the Geneva summit once more but the Greek Cypriot side is not responding positively to the Turkish Cypriot side’s stance.”

Erdogan has made it clear he will not wait forever for a Cyprus solution, setting July 2012 when Cyprus takes over the EU Presidency as an informal deadline. He has promised economic development for the north, and set about implementing an unpopular austerity package to curb public spending in the north as well as privatisation of airlines and universities.

The authorities in the north have also announced new measures to issue ‘green’ and ‘white’ cards for 40 thousand Turkish mainlanders living and working in the north without citizenship. It is believed this will further skewer the already tilting balance between Turkish nationals and Turkish Cypriots residing in the north.

They also announced a number of measures to upgrade Morphou’s infrastructure and attract investment. Turkish Cypriot paper the Star reported that the current residents of Morphou found Erdogan’s statements “encouraging”, adding that they opened the way to investment without fear.

Kibris reports that the white card will be granted to people who have been living in the north for eight or twelve years with a work permit or fifteen years with or without a work permit. The green card will be granted to persons who settle in the occupied area of Cyprus after they retire or people who make big investments of more than $500 thousand.
Turkish Cypriot daily Afrika under the headline “Citizenship step by step”, notes that the decision to grant citizenship to all the settlers started after Erdogan’s visit to Cyprus.

Kibris reports that the chairman of the Republican Turkish Party (CTP) said that the regulation is unconstitutional and that they will not remain spectators of this development but would contest it in court. Moreover the general secretary of the United Cyprus Party (BKP) stated that this decision will annihilate the Turkish Cypriots and was part of the integration policy which is followed by Turkey.