AFTER WEEKS of speculation the two leaders yesterday issued short innocuous joint statement saying they were convinced they could reach a settlement and had made “important progress” so far on three of the six chapters under discussion.
In the statement, which subsequently became a bone of contention, as much for its nature as its content, the two leaders said that after many meetings discussing all aspects of the Cyprus problem, they were “encouraged by the important progress” made so far on the chapters of Governance and Power Sharing, EU Matters and the Economy.
Speaking after what may be the last ever scheduled meeting between President Demetris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat, depending on the latter’s re-election, the statement, read out by UN Special Adviser Alexander Downer, said: “We are convinced that with perseverance we shall achieve a comprehensive settlement”.
The two noted the serious effort to find a solution and thanked the UN and Security Council for their help, while stressing the overriding principle that “nothing is agreed unless everything is agreed”.
The leaders said they were convinced that their “mutual concern for the common good” of all Cypriots and will for a solution would soon lead them to an exhaustive discussion of the remaining aspects of the Cyprus problem and to overcoming their divergent positions, leading to a mutually agreed solution and simultaneous referenda.
“Whilst the negotiations remain confidential it is recognised that the leaders may explain to their communities the progress made so far and the differences that still need to be resolved,” said the joint statement.
The concluding sentence may be the key passage indicating a compromise between the two leaders on how to flag the “positive” convergences reached while leaving the more “controversial” ones aside, while also giving either side the opportunity to highlight what has not been agreed yet.
Asked when the next meeting was scheduled, Talat replied “after the elections” while Christofias said somewhat elusively that their next meeting would be their next meeting.
Before yesterday’s meeting, Presidential Commissioner George Iacovou did not rule out another meeting after the National Council convenes on April 7 and before Turkish Cypriot elections for a community leader on April 18.
Asked yesterday afternoon if the statement was a ‘joint statement’, Christofias said: “No, it is a mere statement, it is not a joint statement. There shall be no joint statement. We are not entering into any detail.”
However European Commission President, Josι Manuel Barroso, welcomed the “joint statement” later yesterday, and the document was titled “joint statement’ both from UN headquarters in Cyprus and from the government Press and Information Office in English and Greek.
Prior to yesterday’s meeting, Iacovou said the Turkish Cypriot side had wanted to issue a joint statement after the meeting but that the distance between the two sides’ positions had made it “not feasible”.
In New York, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon’s spokesman Martin Nesirky said: “The statement highlights the two leaders’ stronger than ever commitment to a settlement and notes that important progress in the chapters of governance and power-sharing, EU matters and the economy has been achieved.”
He said Christofias and Talat were both leaders with “courage and vision and they have taken enormous political risks to carry the process forward.”
Barross welcomed “the joint statement announced by the leaders of the two communities in Cyprus”, noting their level of commitment and responsibility in the talks. He said the statement showed the important progress achieved since talks began on September 3, 2008.
“These achievements clearly demonstrate that a settlement is in reach and that there is a chance to finalise the talks in the next few months,” he added.
Judging from the lack of detail in yesterday’s statement, it appears that Talat and Christofias have yet to agree on a more detailed statement and confusion reigned yesterday over whether there was still scope for a more in-depth joint statement to be announced before Turkish Cypriots go to the polls or whether this was it.
Another possibility is that they did agree on a document which Christofias will take to the National Council for support. So far, the mood of all parties regarding a joint statement, bar ruling AKEL, has oscillated between apprehensive and categorically against.
The disagreement appeared to be over the Turkish Cypriot side’s desire to focus on most convergences reached, bar the more sensitive clauses like cross-voting in the governance chapter, while the Greek Cypriots wanted to refer to divergences also and the issues not yet properly negotiated, like property, territory and security. Christofias was also acutely aware of avoiding putting his name to any kind of interim agreement that could bind the Greek Cypriots before the two leaders had even began work on the latter three chapters.
DIKO spokesman Fotis Fotiou yesterday said his party was not happy with the reference to important progress, saying that it “gives the wrong impressions that go beyond reality” as any progress achieved refers only to “a few aspects” of the first three chapters. “Of course, there is a gap dividing the two sides on the key issues of territory, property, settlers and guarantees,” he said.
EDEK leader Yiannakis Omirou said Christofias’ support of Talat’s re-election bid on Monday provoked “painful surprise and deep regret” that the guardian of the constitution had spoken in such a way about an illegal election.
Christofias announced that he would like to see Talat at the negotiating table after April 18. Omirou accused him of failing to defend the constitution.
Opposition DISY spokesman Haris Georgiades also questioned the president’s rational in giving Talat public support, saying: “If he was really interested in Talat’s re-election, the president should have taken into account the possibility that his public statement would have the exact opposite effect.”
