Small step forward in reunification talks

THE LEADERS took a small step forward step in reunification talks yesterday with an agreement on the international treaties that would bind a united Cyprus

“I am very pleased to announce that the leaders have agreed on guidelines on international treaties binding on a united Cyprus,” Lisa Buttenheim, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General in Cyprus, told reporters.

The leaders made no comments following their one-and-a-half hour meeting in the United Nations Protected Area in Nicosia. They next meet on May 12.

Buttenheim said the agenda of the next meeting was not fixed, but did not rule out the possibility it might include internal aspects of security, which the two leaders’ top advisors have been discussing.

She said next Thursday’s meeting would include the UNSG’s Special Advisor Alexander Downer. Prior to that, on Tuesday, the leaders’ aides would hold talks.

Explaining the guidelines agreed yesterday, the UNSG’s Special Representative said the relevant sub-committee would reconvene to review the list of international treaties that will be binding on a united Cyprus.

Asked whether this subject was now concluded, Buttenheim said: “Yes, you can say they have reached a convergence, they have agreed on this.   They have a convergence paper and they now have guidelines that will help the Sub-Committee that will be starting to meet very soon.”

She said the sub-committee has existed before, but had not met since December 2009. “So this is important that they were able to reach agreement today,” she added.

In response to another question, Buttenheim said there has been no further discussion on the census issue.

Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu has agreed to work with the UN to carry out a population census in the north, but has rejected a Greek Cypriot proposal for simultaneous counts in both communities.

The census issue, one of the major sticking points in the peace talks, is related to the future status of Turkish settlers in a reunified island.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.