Former UN representative for the island says the Cyprus problem is going nowhere
FORMER UN Resident Representative and Chief of Mission, Gustave Feissel believes the Annan plan is unfixable and should be scrapped in favour of a new approach to a settlement.
In an interview with the Sunday Mail, Feissel, who was involved with the Cyprus issue from 1984 to 1998, the latter five years as Chief of Mission, said the bad feeling engendered by the plan was such that it could not be salvaged as a workable solution.
“I’m not knocking the Annan plan. A lot of work went into it and it’s a very sincere effort, but talking to people here… this has left such a bad taste in people’s mouths that trying to fix it would, in my view, be nearly impossible,” he said.
A solution can only be reached when all the leaders unanimously agree. “If one or two say it’s a lousy idea then having a referendum is just an academic exercise,” Feissel said.
“It would be much better and easier and less complicated if they come up with something else, not fix the Annan plan. We’ve had many failures over the years but they never left such deep feelings among so many people and therefore to try to fix that… it’s a humungous plan to fix. I think they would be sitting here for a long time.”
That’s not to say that some of the ideas contained in the plan could not be built on, Feissel said, as “everything is built on what came before” but the Annan plan, in his view, was a matter of too much too soon.
“Obviously it didn’t work well and there are variety of reasons why it didn’t work out but one, in my view, is the so-called methodology. Filling in the blanks as it were. That’s something that ought to have been avoided because it is something so personal to Cyprus. It was their lives that were being decided and I think the only ones who can do this are themselves. It can’t be done by somebody else,” he said. “They (the UN) tried it by going the whole hog straight away.”
Feissel was in Cyprus during the week to speak at a conference at Intercollege on the Cyprus issue. He is also president of the Cyprus American Archaeological Research Institute CAARI, which brings him to the island occasionally. Like most former foreign officials and diplomats who serve in Cyprus, Feissel has maintained an interest in the political issue, having been involved in the so-called ‘Set of Ideas’ round of negotiations during his time here.
Commenting on the current deadlock, he said it appeared to him that despite the Greek Cypriot side having acquired the “security blanket” of EU membership “they have been seeking all these years”, the Cyprus issue was currently going nowhere.
“Even though things are comfortable the thing one ought to keep in mind is that time is running out. There is a danger the Turkish Cypriot community will gradually wither away. This is the big danger to be concerned about for both sides. Turkish Cypriots need to be a viable healthy community. This is something that I would worry about and something needs to be done about sooner rather than later,” he said.
Feissel welcomed the opening of the crossing points in 2003 but said this was no substitute for a solution and solved nothing.
He also said he was concerned about the vilifying that was going on between the leadership on both sides. “I think that’s sad and uncalled for and I think they should stop saying these things. If you can’t say anything good don’t say anything,” he said.
“Since we do have a different cast of characters now I think it would be a good idea if they got together informally, see if they can come up with some ideas of what arrangement could be. If they continue the way they’re going, one fine day we’ll wake up and find no solution will be possible. If partition is the solution then what will happen is that the people on the other side will Turkish, not Turkish Cypriots.”
He said Cypriots should remember what Archbishop Makarios said and seek what was possible, not what was desirable. The Turkish side will never secure recognition for the north and the Greek side will never secure the return of all refugees, despite what both sides say.
Recognition for the ‘TRNC’ was a “total non starter” and the return of the majority population to the north would negate the concept of a bizonal federation, Feissel said.
“This is something they (both sides) have to come to grips with and in my view instead of always waiting for someone else to do something… and then when they do they don’t like the meddling… the two sides should sit down, even informally,” he said. “There is no hatred between the two communities. Even though they complain about each other, they are very much alike. I think they can work it out if things are not shoved down their throats.”
