By Anthony Goodman
TURKISH Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash complained to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan yesterday over reported remarks by Greek President Costis Stephanopoulos that Cyprus “is Greek, it will be Greek.”
Denktash first disclosed his intention to lodge a protest on arriving at UN headquarters for another round of indirect talks, which began on Friday, aimed at ending the division of Cyprus.
Annan had earlier conferred with Greek Cypriot leader Glafcos Clerides, internationally recognised as the president of Cyprus, who said nothing to reporters either on his arrival or departure.
The United Nations has clamped a news blackout on the talks to try to avert any public disclosures or mutual recriminations.
When Denktash was asked as he left what response he had received to his complaint, he replied: “Well, I think the response is that all sides should shut up while the talks are continuing.”
Questioned on his arrival by a Greek Cypriot reporter whether he was happy to be back, Denktash said:
“I am going to take to the secretary-general the statement of the president of Greece that Cyprus is Greek, it will be Greek and he is on the way to making it Greek. Naturally, through the EU,” Denktash added.
He said that was why President Stephanopoulos was “ardently supporting what he knows as Cyprus’s application — which is a Greek Cypriot application. That is why Greek Cypriots are so ardently interested in taking what they call Cyprus into the EU.”
“We are going to make this little complaint. I thought you should know it,” Denktash added.
Asked whether the Greek president’s remarks would affect the current talks, he replied: “No, no. Nothing will affect…”
Denktash has long disputed Clerides’s recognition by the international community as president of the whole of Cyprus, including his application for EU membership on behalf of the entire divided island.
Greece is a member of the 15-nation EU while Turkey is not, though it is hoping to have its candidacy accepted at an EU summit in Helsinki on December 10-11.
Turkish Cypriots have argued that if Cyprus were admitted into the EU — something that is still being negotiated — this would in effect unite it with Greece through their common EU membership.
Denktash told a questioner Stephanopoulos made the reported comments on December 1 — he did not say where or under what circumstances — but that he had received the text only on Sunday.
Asked on his departure about how the indirect talks were proceeding, Denktash gave a one-word answer — “blackout” — a reference to the UN requested ban on any leaks.
He repeated the word when asked if he raised the issue of reuniting Cyprus as a confederation — a union of two independent states that would involve recognising the so-called Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus proclaimed in 1983 with Denktash as president but recognised only by Turkey.
Denktash first put forward the idea of a confederation in a paper he issued in August last year.
UN Security Council resolutions say a Cyprus solution must be based on a bi-zonal, bi-zonal federation — a closer form of union than a confederation that does not involve two independent states.
Denktash said another round of talks would be conducted today by the UN chief’s special adviser on Cyprus, Under-Secretary-General Alvaro de Soto, in Annan’s absence on a trip to Canada.
Asked about the extent of any any progress in the talks so far, he said: “They (the United Nations) are trying to make the ground for progress.” UN officials were “not yet” informing him of what the Greek Cypriot side was saying, he added.
UN spokesman Fred Eckhard said he could not announce anything about the substance of the talks because of the blackout imposed by Annan.
“The talks will continue on a daily basis, first with one party and then with the other, and will continue until they feel they can no longer make progress, or until they have a breakthrough to announce,” he said.
Yesterday’s separate meetings lasted about an hour each.
Before the first round of meetings on Friday, Annan said he did not expect “a miraculous solution.” He said the thrust of the talks would be to reach agreement on the core issues of the division of powers, security, territory and property rights.
