‘What you have here is the political will and the political will is very good’
NEWS THAT both sides were cancelling their annual war games as a sign of goodwill overshadowed yesterday’s meeting between the leaders of the two communities, who otherwise remained coy about how reunification talks were progressing.
It was the fourth get-together between President Demetris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat in the latest drive to end the island’s ongoing division.
The leaders yesterday continued discussion of power-sharing and governance, focusing on the powers of the executive, the structure of the federal state and the role of the president and vice-president.
No comments were made afterwards, leaving it up to UN Special Envoy Alexander Downer to read out a brief joint statement.
Downer said the two leaders had a one-on-one discussion that lasted 15 minutes, after which they were rejoined by their chief advisers.
They also set their next meeting for October 22.
The Australian diplomat said a process of give-and-take was “inevitable in all negotiations” in order to work through the differences.
Responding to questions, Downer noted that “inevitably there is a growing understanding between the two sides and their positions and as time goes on of course the gaps are going to narrow.”
“This is an enormous issue, hasn’t been resolved for a very long time and as I said on Friday it is important to give the leaders space here.
“You can’t expect them suddenly to agree on everything on Day 1 and the whole matter to be resolved after all these years.
“It’s going to take a lot of time and it’s going to be a difficult negotiation. There is no question of that. But what you have here is the political will and the political will is very good,” he added.
On the UN’s role in the peace process, Downer said “We are doing all we can to be helpful – and I hope we are being helpful.”
On his return to the Presidential Palace, Christofias was tightlipped when asked to assess the outcome of the meet, thus sticking to a media embargo agreed with Talat, after public sniping from both sides seemed to poison the climate.
“These are negotiations on many and serious issues. It will take time. Therefore, you can’t judge from a single discussion whether you are satisfied or not.
“If you are going to ask me every time whether I’m satisfied or not, then every time I shall say that, yes, I am,” Christofias joked with newsmen.
He said the advisers to the two leaders, supported by experts from the relevant working group, would come together this Thursday to discuss in further detail the issue of the executive.
What little Christofias was willing to reveal was his decision – sure to earn brownie points abroad – to call off the Nikiforos war games, scheduled to begin today.
The live-ammo military exercise, held every year in October, is the single largest peacetime mobilisation by the National Guard. It is almost immediately followed by the Taurus exercise in the north.
Christofias said the government had a while back intimated to the UN Secretary-General its intention to postpone or altogether cancel Nikiforos, asking that the Turkish side reciprocate.
However, government spokesman Stefanos Stefanou was cagey as to whether the Taurus war games would also be shelved.
“That decision rests with the Turkish occupation forces,” he told the Mail.
“This was a goodwill gesture on our side. Military exercises are not part of the ongoing dialogue…it is not a bicommunal action, if you will.”
He said military drills were not discussed at yesterday’s meeting, stressing that the move was not part of a deal with the other side.
But later in the afternoon, Talat’s spokesman said the Taurus exercise has also been called off.
