A GROUP of lawyers representing the International Association of Human Rights yesterday called on the president to withdraw the “disastrous” rotating presidency proposal from the negotiating table.
Members Loucis Loucaides, Christos Clerides, Christos Triantaphyllides and Simos Angelides argued that the current negotiations for a solution were continuously coming up with undemocratic proposals that are incompatible with human rights and international treaties that bind Cyprus as an EU member.
The proposal submitted by President Demetris Christofias provides for a Greek Cypriot president of a reunited Cyprus for four years and a Turkish Cypriot president for two years.
Commenting on the proposal, former European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) judge, Loucaides argued that it violates six international conventions, including ones against racial discrimination and civil and political rights. He referred to recent ECHR decisions on Bosnia and Herzegovina, which highlighted that the stipulation that president had to hail from a specific ethnic group went against the European Convention on Human Rights.
“Therefore the exclusion of the right of a Greek Cypriot to run for the presidency of the state of Cyprus during those two years which are marked out for a Turkish Cypriot and vice-versa is prohibited by the principle affirmed in the ECHR and therefore it is inconceivable to remain in force as our proposal,” said Loucaides.
Clerides noted that the Venice Committee which gave its positions on the issue in one ECHR judgement said whatever happens in the case of Bosnia, the aim should be to have a future president elected in a manner which ensures they garner trust beyond the ethnic group to which they belong.
He argued that the rotating presidency proposal should never have been submitted, and castigated Christofias for not withdrawing it in January when Mehmet Ali Talat put “unacceptable proposals” on the negotiating table. The lawyer maintained there was still time to withdraw it, regardless of the timing.
“Who will vote for it?” he asked.
Triantaphyllides used an analogy to stress the importance of abolishing the proposal, arguing that if one was standing in the middle of the road and a car was coming at them, “you get out of the way, even if doing so might offend others”.
Greek Cypriots could not accept wrong proposals just because they fear withdrawing them will damage their credibility, he said, adding that the risk of disaster was too great to do so.
