THE TRIPARTITE meeting in Geneva on July 7 between the UN Secretary-General and the two sides could end with a positive result, President Demetris Christofias said yesterday.
Speaking after a meeting with Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu, the president said the goal was to close the chapter on international agreements in the talks, as well as on internal security, before the Geneva meeting. Whether this was at all possible would become clear very soon since Geneva was “not very far off”, he added.
Christofias said a lot depended on how Eroglu approached certain issues in the talks for which the Greek Cypriot negotiating team came very close to reaching convergence with his predecessor Mehmet Ali Talat.
“The issue is how Mr Eroglu will continue with them,” Christofias said.
He added: “The goal is to find a common language regarding the (July 7) agenda and get a result in Geneva. That’s the issue. To get a result and I believe it is possible to have some kind of a positive result.”
Asked whether convergences would be announced or chapters closed at the tripartite meeting, he said this remained to be seen.
Meanwhile, UN Special Adviser Alexander Downer yesterday announced plans to meet Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu in Ankara today, following the Turkish elections last Sunday.
The Australian diplomat added he had no plans to “make a nuisance” of himself in Greece, however, which is currently preoccupied with economic matters.
Speaking after the two leaders’ meeting, Downer said of the meeting with Davutoglu: “I think it’s both a good time for me to meet with him, and talk with him, and it’s a good time for the Turkish government to meet with the United Nations to talk about the issue of Cyprus and the pace of the negotiations here, particularly in advance of the meeting in Geneva with the Secretary-General.”
According to Downer, the meeting will focus on the importance of bridging the differences between the two sides in the talks, particularly on core issues, and on the Geneva meeting.
The UN adviser said he kept “very much” in touch with the Greek government as he did with the Turkish government.
“That isn’t only in the interest of balance, though balance is important. But it’s also that I think both of those countries play a very constructive role in this process.”
While Turkey has been preoccupied with elections and Greece has “well-known economic issues that they’re dealing with”, the Cyprus issue remains important to both countries, he said.
Downer said the two leaders yesterday discussed the treaty-making capacity of a federal government in a united Cyprus and the capacity of the constituent states to make international agreements.
They also agreed to meet again next Tuesday.
