THE LEADERS ended their meeting with the UN chief in Geneva yesterday, agreeing to intensify negotiations to reach convergence on the core issues by October, give the UN an “enhanced role” and ultimately conclude the talks with an international conference.
Speaking after four hours of meetings with the two sides, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon left little room for doubt that the UN was ready to see the process come to its end, one way or another.
“The leaders have agreed to enter into an intensive period of negotiations on the core issues when they return to the island. They will focus on finding a way through the difficult core issues. “I have every expectation that by October the leaders will be able to report that they have reached convergence on all core issues, and we will meet that month in New York,” said Ban.
“This will take the Cyprus negotiations close to their conclusion and would allow me to give a positive report to the Security Council on the matter. It would also pave the way for me to work with the parties towards convening a final, international conference,” he added.
The UN chief began his statement noting that “progress has been far too slow” since he last met with President Demetris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu last January in Geneva. An opinion shared by his special adviser Alexander Downer, who was quoted on the eve of the meeting saying the last three months of talks were the “worst” since they began in September 2008.
Ban highlighted that “some important areas have remained untouched” in the negotiations. On this point, yesterday’s meeting proved “useful and productive” as the UN was able to identify “some of the difficulties that are standing in the way of reaching a comprehensive agreement” and discussed “the need to significantly intensify the negotiations”.
The UNSG also flagged the importance of “looking ahead at the objective rather than focusing on the problem in minute detail” to the two leaders.
Regarding the Cypriot-led and owned process, Ban said, without prejudice to this central principle, he offered the leaders “an enhanced United Nations involvement” in the talks, which both accepted.
In a possible nod to Greek Cypriot concerns, Ban added: “I also took the opportunity to remind both leaders of the parameters of the agreement that we are striving to reach as set out in relevant Security Council Resolutions.”
In essence, Ban’s intervention resulted in the leaders agreeing to pick up the pace of the talks, go through and reach convergence on all core issues through a give-and-take process, culminating in a fourth tripartite meeting in October.
At this point, the end or “conclusion” will be in sight and the UN chief will likely decide in a report to the Security Council whether the talks have failed and must end or can continue, leading to a “final” international conference. It is not yet clear whether the leaders will be expected to reach convergence on the potentially explosive issue of settlers before or after the Turkish Cypriots carry out a census in the north.
Effectively, the UN team has laid out a timetable for the talks to reach their conclusion, with the obvious milestone being Cyprus’ EU Presidency starting in July 2012, by which point, the talks will either be dead and buried or have led to separate referenda in the two communities.
The agreement to an informal timetable, “enhanced” UN role and calling of a final international conference will likely cause many a headache for Christofias who has consistently based his negotiations policy on a refusal to accept “suffocating timeframes” or “arbitration”.
Eroglu and the powerful Turkish diplomatic machinery have run a steady campaign for the UN to impose a final deadline in the talks.
Ban concluded his statement with a clear diplomatic dig at both leaders, noting both agreed “they must begin to build support for a comprehensive agreement”.
The fact that neither has started to do so has led the public on both sides to become “weary”, said the UNSG.
“Both leaders must renew hope and enthusiasm for a solution. They have acknowledged the need to begin to prepare their respective communities for the compromises required for a settlement and the prospect of living together in a united Cyprus,” he ended.
While consecutive press conferences were scheduled for both leaders after the meeting, none were held.
The one issue Eroglu commented on according to Anadolu News Agency was the ‘flag’ saga. According to reports, Eroglu and his team had to abandon their planned accommodation in Geneva for another after the original hotel refused to raise the ‘TRNC’ flag.
Eroglu hinted that this was a result of Greek Cypriot actions, adding, “This will not affect my efforts for a solution at the negotiating table”.
