U.N. SECRETARY-general Kofi Annan will urge members of the Security Council to turn their attention to ending the economic isolation of the Turkish Cypriots who voted to accept his reunification plan in April’s referendum when he presents his long-awaited report into the failed effort to reunify the island today.
At the same time, Annan calls to task President Tassos Papadopoulos over his emotional televised speech urging Greek Cypriots to reject the plan, and criticised the Greek Cypriot media for the role it played in the ‘no’ vote in the south of the island.
In his report to the Security Council, a copy of which has been obtained by the Cyprus Mail, Annan said the decision of the Turkish Cypriots to accept his reunification plan had “undone any rationale for pressuring and isolating them”.
“I would hope that the members of the Council can give a strong lead to all states to co-operate both bilaterally and in international bodies to eliminate unnecessary restrictions and barriers that have the effect of isolating the Turkish Cypriots and impeding their development, not for the purpose of affording recognition or assisting secession but as a positive contribution to the goal of reunification,” he said, adding that in the aftermath of the vote, the situation of Turkish Cypriots required the attention of the international community, including the Security Council.
Annan also welcomed the rapid reaction of the EU to aid the Turkish Cypriots, and said he hoped it would follow up these steps with further ones.
In a clear snipe at the Cyprus government, Annan said he had also “taken note” of Greek Cypriot intent to extend as many EU benefits as “possible and permissible” to the Turkish Cypriots.
He said EU accession had weakened Greek Cypriot incentive to compromise and that it was pursuing a less flexible policy. His plan was also the only foreseeable basis for a settlement, he added.
Annan said the rejection by the Greek Cypriots was a major setback. What was rejected was the solution itself rather than the mere blueprint, he said, because the benefits of the plan were things the Greek Cypriots had been seeking for decades, the return of refugees, the withdrawal of Turkish troops and the removal of a large number of Turkish settlers.
“A solution obviously requires more than a comprehensive and carefully balanced peace plan. It also needs bold and determined political leadership on both sides of the island as well as in Greece and Turkey, all in place at the same time and ready to negotiate with determination and to convince the people of the need to compromise. Little was done by some parties in this direction,” Annan said.
He particularly singled out Papadopoulos’ speech, saying it had taken him by surprise and that he was concerned because it appeared to call into question many fundamental aspects of the plan, while acknowledging that the final version contained improvements.
“I do not believe the speech accurately reflected the contents of the plan on a range of issues nor do I accept the argument that when the plan was finalised, Turkey’s concerns were satisfied and Greek Cypriot concerns largely ignored,” Annan said. “It might have been possible to accommodate other Greek Cypriot concerns had the Greek Cypriot side been more willing to engage in give and take at Burgenstock and before, and to prioritise its objectives.”
“My plan which was becalmed for a year for lack of political will has now run aground on the decision of the Greek Cypriot electorate. Its fate is a powerful illustration of the difficulties of finding a solution to this long-standing problem.”
Annan said, however, that the Greek Cypriot rightly expected the international community to respect their decision, which he said might have come about for a range of reasons, such as not being adequately prepared or due to a lack of objective information or the imbalance between the ’yes’ and’ no’ campaigns or the belief that a new opportunity would come along soon, or a combination of all these factors.
He also said lingering Greek Cypriot concerns about security and implementation of the plan needed to be articulated with clarity and finality and that the Security Council would be well advised to stand ready to address such concerns. He also pointed out, however, that the Greek Cypriot side had not wanted the Security Council to take any decisions prior to the referendum – even on security issues.
“However, the sheer size of the ‘no’ vote raises even more fundamental questions,” said Annan. “While they strongly state their wish to reunify many (Greek Cypriots) see in a settlement very little gain and quite a lot of inconvenience and risk.”
He said Greek Cypriots should reflect on this when there was little prospect of any renewed peace effort, adding that there was no apparent basis for resuming while the current stalemate continued.
“If the Greek Cypriots are ready to share power and prosperity with the Turkish Cypriots in a federal structure based on political equality, this needs to be demonstrated not just by word but by action,” he added.
But Annan had praise for the Turkish Cypriots. “I welcome the decision of the Turkish Cypriots. They have clearly and convincingly come out in favour of reunification of Cyprus… they have done so despite the pain and dislocation that would have been caused by the relocation of around one third of Turkish Cypriots under the plan,” the Secretary-general said.
He added that although EU membership might have played a part in their decision, they had broken the decades-old policy of seeking recognition for the breakaway state.
He also urged Turkish Cypriots not to turn their backs on reunification even though they might feel rebuffed, and to take every opportunity to reach out to the Greek Cypriots.
The report also levels criticism at the Greek Cypriot media and the way the plan was presented to the public. He said the efforts of the UN to provide explanations and clarifications about the plan were hampered by the media climate on the island.
Before Burgenstock, it had not been possible to find a Greek Cypriot television station to work with a Turkish Cypriot station to produce a bi-communal phone-in, Annan said. Afterwards, he said special envoy Alvaro de Soto had been denied air time on state television on the Greek Cypriot side.
Speaking before the report had been made public, Government Spokesman Kypros Chrysostomides said yesterday that the government hoped Annan would be objective and allow room for further negotiations on the Cyprus issue.
”If the report were not objective, we would be displeased,” he said.
The report is expected to be formally submitted to the Security Council today.
Papadopoulos is due to meet Annan in New York later today.
