PRESIDENT Tassos Papadopoulos has sent a letter to Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat through the UN, requesting a meeting to review developments since the two sides exchanged lists of discussion issues on Monday.
The two sides are following a twin-track process to move forward on the Cyprus issue. Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot representatives Tassos Tzonis and Rasit Pertev have been meeting since Monday as part of the new process to prepare the ground for talks both on a technical level and on issues of substance.
The deal was struck on July 8 during a meeting with UN Undersecretary-general for Political Affairs Ibrahim Gambari in Nicosia and was to get underway by the end of July.
Part of the agreement also called for regular meetings between Papadopoulos and Talat to review the work as and when they felt it necessary.
Government Spokesman Christodoulos Pashardis said yesterday it appeared Talat had replied positively to the proposal, but added that a date had not yet been fixed.
Pashardis said the two sides were adhering to a strict news blackout on the content of the talks, as had been agreed during the Gamabari meeting.
He said there would be no leaks from the Greek Cypriot side.
Asked if the National Council would be briefed on the developments, Pashardis said the President was always “willing and ready to convene the National Council so that all parties are informed”.
The Cyprus process has been stalled ever since the referenda of April 2004, when Greek Cypriots overwhelmingly rejected a UN-brokered plan for reunification.
But analysts agree that hopes for a resumption of talks are fragile, with the two sides’ agendas radically different.
The Greek Cypriot side is focusing on three aspects: day-to-day issues, core issues – properties, settlers and governance of a unified state – and proposals for confidence-building measures (CBMs), such as the return of the fenced-off area of Varosha.
The Turkish Cypriot community appears to be stressing issues of “good neighbourly relations” and CBMs.
They also want discussions to revolve as closely as possible around the Annan plan, although for the sake of progress they have agreed not to refer to the blueprint by name.
