PRESIDENT DEMETRIS Christofias is leaving New York “very satisfied” after Thursday’s tripartite meeting at the UN headquarters, and insists he came under no pressure or threats and had no timeframes imposed.
Not all shared his view, however, with opposition DISY leader Nicos Anastassiades noting an “informal timeframe” had been set for January while government partner DIKO, through its leader Marios Garoyian said the president came under “strong pressure” in New York.
“I am leaving New York very satisfied with the results of this meeting,” said Christofias. Contrary to all the scare-mongering and speculation that preceded the trip, he noted: “There are no timeframes, there is no threat from anywhere, and there is no intention on behalf of the Secretary-General to exert pressure.”
Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu met UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in New York on Thursday in an effort to boost momentum in the talks.
According to one European diplomat, the result was a “forceful” message by Ban for the two leaders to basically “get on with it”.
“The result was not as apocalyptic as some circles suggested or as bland as some thought it might be. Ban was forceful. He delivered strong messages but no threats,” said the diplomat.
In his post-meeting announcement, Ban put the blame for the lack of momentum gently but clearly on the two leaders, saying only they had the power to give the talks a boost.
The “sense of anticipation” for a solution earlier this year “faded” as the talks continued “without clear progress or a clear end in sight”, said the UN chief.
He confirmed support for the talks being a Cypriot-led process, but hinted that the international community was running out of patience.
“It is precisely for that reason that we expect the Cypriot sides to assume their responsibility to drive this process toward a solution. The people of Cyprus and the international community want a solution, not endless talks,” said Ban.
The body language at the New York press conference offered little encouragement as Ban took on the air of a headmaster keeping up appearances after giving two sullen school boys a rundown of their graduation prospects.
According to Ban, both leaders recognise the need to move “more quickly and decisively” to reach a settlement and even “expressed their commitment to work together, as partners, toward that goal”.
In a strong hint to the two leaders and at the kind of frankness he pledged to employ in his progress report next Tuesday, Ban highlighted that “projecting positive messages is critical if any agreement is to be trusted and embraced by the respective publics in referenda”.
But the real meat of the meeting came in the form of the UN chief’s extracted commitment from the two leaders to intensify their contacts in the coming weeks and meet with him again in Geneva at the end of January.
In the meantime, Ban expects the two “to establish a practical plan for overcoming the major remaining points of disagreement” by identifying further convergences and the core issues that remain unresolved throughout the six chapters.
A key sentence followed, the meaning of which will become much clearer in two months: “That, in turn, will help the United Nations determine its own next steps.”
In essence, Ban is asking the two leaders to come up with a clear-cut summary of the points of convergence and divergence in all six chapters by the end of January, after which the UN will decide how best to proceed. Given that the two leaders have to programme around the European Council, Christmas and New Year, the likelihood is they’ll have around four weeks of eight to 12 meetings to accomplish this.
While Ban referred to the “real progress” made in the talks between Christofias and former Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat, Eroglu was quick to note when speaking to reporters after that the two current leaders have reached a stumbling point in all six chapters.
He stressed that he has only discussed the property chapter since his election, and plans to submit proposals on all remaining chapters, hinting that past points of convergence may be redrawn.
Before the New York meeting, there were whispers that Eroglu might agree to Christofias’ proposal to link the territory and property chapters to give the talks impetus, something the UN was not against, but this failed to materialise.
However, according to one source close to the talks, the UN does not see the task at hand as too insurmountable. The general view is that if the two leaders want this bad enough they can do it in less than a fortnight. A lot of work has already been done, what’s lacking, from the UN’s point of view, is the political will.
And depending on what happens over the next several weeks, the UN will also make it clear whether we can expect another progress report in February, soon after this November’s report.
Meanwhile, back on the island, House President and DIKO leader Marios Garoyian said yesterday he had heard through unofficial sources that the president was put under heavy pressure in New York before and during the tripartite meeting to hold a four-party conference between the two communities, Greece and Turkey. He commended Christofias for rejecting these efforts.
He said “some powerful players in the international community” and close associates of the UNSG tried to lean on Christofias on this point, as well as make an effort to upgrade the UN’s role so it could submit proposals, set timeframes and arbitrate.
Anastassiades said the UN was increasing its involvement in the talks by monitoring progress and setting January as a timeframe for a new evaluation. “It will show by then whether this procedure is producing results. If not, it is likely the next step will be another type of procedure, or the end of the process,” he said.
Leader of the ruling AKEL party Andros Kyprianou echoed Christofias’ view that there was no pressure put on the Greek Cypriot delegation any effort to change the procedure or impose timeframes and arbitration.
He welcomed the UNSG’s more active involvement in the talks and the decision to put all chapters on the table, saying finally “the Turkish side will be forced to give positions” on chapters like security and territory.
EDEK leader Yiannakis Omirou advised Ban to stop keeping an equal distance from both sides, suggesting one had more responsibility than the other.
The UN chief will distribute his progress report on the talks next Tuesday while the report on UNFICYP is due on December 1. The UN Security Council will vote on both.
