Determination needed, says UN

The talks on finding a solution to the Cyprus problem went through a very difficult period recently, UN Special Adviser Alexander Downer said on Wednesday and the leaders of the two communities need to show some determination and make more progress if they want the Greentree meeting in New York this month a success,

Speaking after a meeting between the two leaders, Downer highlighted the short time left to make progress before the two leaders meet with the UN chief in Greentree estate in New York on January 22.

“We don’t have all that long now until the Greentree meeting, so we are working very hard to try to make some progress between now and then and we’ll just have to see how we get on.

“This has been a very difficult period in the negotiations recently and so we need to demonstrate some determination to try to get over some of the difficulties and obstacles,” said the UN diplomat.

He said both sides have prepared and handed over to the UN draft outlines of how they see an agreement. They will exchange those outlines with each other on their completion.

Asked whether the Greentree meeting was coming too early for the two sides to make enough progress, he said this was not an issue of time, but politics.

“The obstacles that stand before an agreement on the core issues at the moment can be resolved, but the question is whether they will be resolved”, in other words whether the two sides were willing to make the necessary political compromises. “Whether they are going to happen or not, I have no idea.”

“We need to make more progress between now and the meeting in Greentree, to make sure that it is a successful meeting. It’s obviously a challenge,” said Downer.

Asked what would happen if there is no agreement, Downer said: “If there is no agreement, then we have complete deadlock. The Secretary-General will obviously have to think about what the next steps would be under those circumstances and discuss that with the leaders”.

The two sides simply “reiterated their positions” at the last meeting on the Cyprus problem between the two leaders, President Christofias said on his return from the talks.

"The differences remain and the UN is calling on us, naturally, to intensify our efforts, to achieve progress, and some results before Greentree”, he said.

He said the Greek Cypriot side was ready to proceed “on condition that one side does not impose its will on the other. It is mostly up to the other side, not to retreat, but to return to what has been agreed”.

He said that the Turkish side cannot be prevaricating and reconsidering issues that have been previously agreed upon.

“We are looking for a compromise on what the Turkish side has moved away from. This is the situation. It is not attractive in any case”, he added.

The Turkish Cypriots are more sincere than the Greek Cypriots in trying to reach an agreement in the island, Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu told reporters after the latest round of talks.

According to Ankara Anatolia news agency, he also said that he wanted to reach an agreement in Cyprus more than Greek Cypriot leader Demetris Christofias and UN Secretary General's special advisor for Cyprus Alexander Downer.

"This is because the Turkish Cypriots need an agreement more than the Greek Cypriots", Eroglu added.

“For us, the Cyprus talks are going well”, he said. “We discussed with the Greek Cypriots the 6th chapter. There is deadlock on the property issue. We submitted a proposal of 60 pages on the property issue alone. The UN embraced it. On the EU issue, so that an agreement isn't undermined through legal challenges in court over its status as EU primary law, we have some problems over enshrining it into the EU constitution. The economy issue has practically finished, the domestic security issue is almost completed. The guarantorship issue will be discussed at the international conference. There is a deadlock on the issue of governance and power sharing. They're trying to backtrack on the issue of the presidency.”

Commenting on the January summit, Eroglu said: “Christofias very clearly opposes arbitration and a timetable. However, the UN Secretary-General declared that the negotiations will have an end. We will try so that we may reach a solution by June, when the Greek Cypriots will take over the EU's rotating presidency.”

Commenting on a recent statement he made that if the Cyprus talks failed, the TRNC would be renamed as Cyprus Turkish State, Eroglu said: “While the negotiations are being carried out, it is not possible to refer to a plan B. Our state exists, our motherland recognizes it. If there is no solution, we will continue the same way, as how the TRNC is today. However, constitutional amendments may be necessary. There are delays at the assembly level. The amendment, regarding the police falling under civilian control is necessary.”

President Christofias said he was eager to meet with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to discuss the Cyprus problem.

“The key to the problem is in Ankara,” Christofias told Turkish Cypriot daily Hurriyet in an interview on Wednesday.

“If he invites me I will go at once. I think Erdogan does not drink raki for religious concerns, but I can drink coffee, raki or anything,” Christofias said, adding that he would meet Erdogan in either Istanbul or Ankara.

Negotiations to end Cyprus’ division are proceeding poorly, he said, noting that if progress isn’t made soon, there would be no reason to go to New York at the end of the month.

He called on Turkey not to call the Greek side of the island a “half country” in reference to Turkish President Abdullah Gul’s statement in November 2011 about the prospect of Greek Cyprus taking over the European Union presidency this year as a “half country” leading a “miserable union.”

“It is very insulting to say this to an EU member country, especially when we are in favour of Turkey’s membership in the EU. This attitude does not demonstrate respect,” said Christofias. Other EU countries do not support Turkey’s attitude either, he added.

Powerful actors in the EU would still have problems with Ankara joining the union even without the Cyprus problem, Christofias said.

Some of these countries are worried about Turkey’s domestic problems, economy and population, whereas others are against Turkey’s membership because it is a Muslim country, said Christofias, but added that he did not agree with the second reason.

Christofias also said natural gas would begin flowing to the island within four years and that would benefit everyone if an agreement were reached.

He called on Turkey to recognize Cyprus as a sovereign state, to contribute to a solution and to leave the island alone.

Turkey’s EU Minister, Egemen Bagis, yesterday said President Christofias could meet with Turkish officials if Dervis Eroglu, the Turkish Cypriot leader was present, Turkish Cypriot daily Haberdar reports, implying that such a request could be realised only with a four-party meeting, where Turkey and Greece are present.

Bagis, reportedly said: “Let President Dervis Eroglu take Christofias by the hand and come. Our Prime Minister will meet them,”

With political will the Cyprus problem can be solved in six weeks, let alone six months time, Turkey’s Foreign Minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, has said, as there is no aspect which has not been discussed or negotiated, he said, according to Turkish news reports.

He added that Turkey will continue supporting the ongoing talks and expressed hopes that a result will come up after the Greentree summit in New York, a result that will be in the framework of the UN’s parameters and which could lead to an international conference on Cyprus.

“We are continually exerting efforts for this. Our message is always directed towards the implementation of a comprehensive solution in Cyprus, the soonest possible”, he said.

“After the January summit, it is possible for an international conference to take place, maybe in February or March, referendums in April or May, and as a result of this, the new state to be established in July 2012. In this case, the President of the new state, which will undertake the EU term presidency, will be from the one side and the Foreign Minister from the other side. In this way, the EU will show that it is a peace project. But if the EU hands over the EU term Presidency unilaterally to the Greek Cypriots, something that will reinforce them, then the EU will lose its dignity. We should speak openly about this”, Davutoglu said.

Asked to comment the possibility for tensions escalating if Cyprus takes on the EU Presidency without a solution, Davutoglu warned that Turkey will not approve the “continuation of this game”.

President Demetris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu last night jointly hosted a dinner in honour of the UN in the mixed village of Pyla.

According to the Cyprus Mail, the dinner was a “jolly affair”, with the two leaders expressing their hope for a comprehensive settlement, saying this could be achieved even within 2012, only a day after it appeared the outlook for the New York Greentree talks at the end of this month was bleak.

The leaders and the UN team, which included Special Adviser Alexander Downer, had dinner at the Greek Cypriot restaurant Trochos and then headed to the Turkish Cypriot restaurant Amnesia, a kilometre away, for coffee.

Downer over dinner waxed lyrical about the “beautiful island” of Cyprus and how “warm friendly and extremely hospitable people were” and that “warmer and friendlier people” could not be found anywhere but in Cyprus.

He continued by saying that he dreamt of the day when the two leaders would be on the front page of Time magazine as the two people who reached an agreement in Cyprus, resulting to the island’s reunification. “I think all this is possible”, Downer said.

Christofias said he hoped 2012 would be ’the year of the solution’, adding that this was possible. He noted that despite the problems, “we shall work more intensively to find a common language, the Cypriot language” in order to overcome the difficulties.

Eroglu said he agreed with everything that Christofias said, although he is insisted that a solution be reached before Cyprus takes over the presidency of the EU in July.

“I do believe that with our strong efforts, both Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots can find a comprehensive settlement in this island,” Eroglu said.