By Elias Hazou and George Psyllides
THE Cyprus talks process has not been derailed nor frozen, despite the sour climate over parliament’s controversial move last week to commemorate the 1950 enosis (union with Greece) referendum, UN Special Adviser Espen Barth Eide said late on Thursday.
“Nobody sees this process as over, terminated or even suspended. The process is on, and this was explicitly said by both Mr [Mustafa] Akinci and Mr [Nicos] Anastasiades,” Eide told reporters after meeting Anastasiades at the presidential palace in the evening.
He was seeking to quash uncertainty over the future of the talks.
“As of now, there has been no change in the programme,” Eide added.
The leaders were scheduled to meet again next Thursday.
The Norwegian diplomat embarked on shuttle diplomacy after a meeting earlier in the day between the leaders was abruptly broken off – reportedly due to disagreements over parliament’s referendum decision, a move denounced by the Turkish Cypriot side.
In a bid to put out the fires, Eide arranged to meet the leaders again separately, seeing Akinci first in the north before heading back south to the presidential palace.
“The leaders and I were hoping to use the [morning] meeting to clear the air. This was the intention, it didn’t totally work, not yet, and the meeting ended abruptly which was unfortunate.”
Pressed as to which leader had in fact walked out, the UN official said it was Akinci.
“As Mr Akinci himself has said, at some point… as it was an emotional meeting for all participants, Mr Akinci left the meeting.”
Noting that the meeting of the leaders “was not a very happy one,” Eide noted that “the mood surrounding the talks, outside the talks, is not optimal.”
Eide spoke of quarters within both communities who are opposed to a settlement, pointing out that it was to be expected they would up the ante during the talks process.
“You also have many people who want the talks to fail. That is a reality. This is not illegitimate, it happens in a free society.”
The UN diplomat said he discussed the episode on the phone with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who urged him to press on with the peace process.
“He [Guterres] said something important: communities have long memories. In the Greek Cypriot community and in the Turkish Cypriot community, all remember a number of bad things happening to them by the others.”
Weighing in the controversy, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu was on Thursday quoted as saying that the Greek Cypriots’ move to commemorate the enosis referendum was “unacceptable.”
“They are still talking about Cyprus’ union with Greece. In other words, they have not abandoned their hopes [for union with Greece], but on the other hand they say that Turkish guarantees are no longer necessary.”
If the Greek Cypriot side genuinely seeks to talk, it will return to the negotiating table, Cavusoglu added.
Early reports said Akinci had walked out of Thursday morning’s meeting with Anastasiades, but they were later denied.
Akinci said it was not him who had walked out but Anastasiades. The Cyprus News Agency reported that Akinci left during a short break in which Anastasiades had walked out of the room to have a smoke.
CNA said there had not been any tension between the leaders.
Akinci later said Anastasiades walked out while UN Special Adviser Espen Barth Eide was talking about the enosis issue, shouting “ ‘I have nothing further to say’.”
“It’s up to Anastasiades to reopen the door that he banged behind him in the middle of today’s meeting,” Akinci said.
The Turkish Cypriot leader said Anastasiades found the House decision wrong and “he should say this publicly”
“The door of the negotiations will open once the Greek Cypriot side corrects the mistake,” Akinci said.
In a live television address later on Thursday, Anastasiades expressed regret over the developments, saying the Turkish Cypriot delegation had left the meeting during a brief interruption.
“During a brief interruption, due to a disagreement between the UN and our side, the Turkish delegation left without reason,” the president said.
In an effort to create a climate that would allow mutual understanding and in expressing the concerns of the Turkish Cypriot community, Eide implied that they were possibly right or not, prompting Anastasiades’ reaction.
The president told Eide that it was not permitted, after being present for two years, to dispute the intentions of the Greek Cypriot side.
He added that UN officials had tried to convince the Turkish Cypriots to return but Akinci was uncompromising.
Before the interruption, Anastasiades said he had discussed in detail the reasons why the Turkish Cypriot side’s concerns over the parliament’s decision were unjustified.
The president spoke about the National Council’s unanimous decision on Monday reiterating that the solution being sought was neither enosis nor partition, but one based on UN resolutions.
Anastasiades also talked about events in the north, like the invasion celebrations on July 20, that offended Greek Cypriots.
He said he remained focused on finding a viable and functional solution and urged Akinci to drop the pretexts and return to the negotiating table with a constructive disposition.
