By Stefanos Evripidou
THE National Council on Wednesday discussed the latest efforts in the peace talks and measures to curb the sale of Greek Cypriot properties in the north, without concluding on either.
According to government spokesman Christos Stylianides, decisions on the next steps in the peace process and measures to dissuade Greek Cypriot refugees from selling off their occupied properties have been deferred to later in the month, with the Council due to convene again on January 24.
President Nicos Anastasiades discussed with the advisory body of former presidents and party leaders the Turkish Cypriot rejection on December 27 of the Greek Cypriot draft proposal on the joint communiqué that had been submitted on December 18.
The Turkish Cypriots failed to present any counter-proposal, effectively bringing the effort to an impasse.
Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu was quoted by the Turkish Cypriot press as saying that his side has submitted its “last draft” on the issue. He is due in Ankara in the coming days, invited for the first time in a long while to discuss the Cyprus problem with the Turkish leadership.
His ‘foreign minister’ Ozdil Nami appeared to sing a different tune, quoted as saying that the two sides have achieved “serious convergences” in the joint declaration and only “minor differences” separate them which could be overcome.
Anastasiades briefed party representatives on Wednesday on the contents of a letter he sent to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on January 2, where he suggests the two leaders agree on a shorter joint declaration based on specific criteria, as an alternative means to get the talks started.
Stylianides told reporters after the Council meeting that UN Special Adviser Alexander Downer was due to meet with Anastasiades on Monday.
“The solution to the Cyprus problem is the basis of the political philosophy of this government. That is why we do not accept the attribution of any blame to our side when we have demonstrated that we do our utmost in order for a substantive dialogue to commence,” he said.
Reports on Wednesday suggested the UN chief would call a meeting of the two leaders in New York to get the process started, however UNFICYP spokesman Michel Bonnardeaux said this was currently not on the cards.
“No, right now the plan is still the same. The plan is to get the work done here which is what Mr. Downer is doing,” said the UN official.
Downer, who arrives in Cyprus on Sunday, will stay on the island for a week before heading to New York to brief the UN Security Council on January 22, and “see what the next steps shall be,” said Bonnardeaux. On January 28, the UNSC is expected to vote on the renewal of UNFICYP’s mandate.
Asked to comment about a possible meeting in New York, Stylianides failed to rule out the prospect, saying that for the Greek Cypriots, the aim was the resumption of dialogue, in any format, so long as the basis for a solution is clear, and there are prospects for substantive dialogue leading to a successful conclusion.
The spokesman also rejected comments by opposition AKEL leader Andros Kyprianou that the government wasted four months on experimentations in the peace talks.
EDEK leader Yiannakis Omirou and Greens leader Giorgos Perdikis came out of the meeting suggesting the future was bleak for the talks.
DIKO leader Nicolas Papadopoulos said the effort was to avoid the dilemma of “either accepting Mr Eroglu’s terms or heading to a deadlock”.
“What concerns DIKO is for the talks to start” on a clear basis so no one has the opportunity to table unacceptable positions at the negotiating table, he added.
EVROKO leader Demetris Syllouris said it appeared Downer, who was appointed by the UN and should be the first to protect UN resolutions, does not support this process.
“For us this is not a surprise,” he said.
The only positive note seemed to come from Archbishop Chrysostomos II, who, speaking at another event on Wednesday, said Turkey will eventually realise it is in their interests to create a proper federal state as the hydrocarbon reserves in Cyprus’ exclusive economic zone are much bigger than we think.
Meanwhile, regarding the National Council subcommittee’s proposals for measures to curb applications to the IPC Turkish Cypriot property commission, Stylianides said the matter was “very difficult, very complex” with a legal dimension.
He noted that following the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights deeming the IPC an effective domestic remedy, this has created “terrible problems”, highlighting the danger of time passing with the Cyprus problem remaining unsolved.
Interior Minister Socrates Hasikos said proposals on the IPC will be discussed again on January 24, adding that the only sure way to stop Greek Cypriots selling their properties in the north was to solve the Cyprus problem.
“There are some measures proposed, but I want to be completely honest. There is one way, a Cyprus solution, everything else is a half-measure, and that is where we need to focus our efforts.”
He acknowledged that the deep economic crisis did not allow the state to buy refugees’ properties in the occupied areas from them, “even at 10 per cent of their value as they are given in the occupied areas”.
To date, 5,714 applications had been filed with the IPC of which 463 have been concluded through friendly settlements and 11 through formal hearing. The IPC has paid out GBP 143m to the applicants as compensation so far.
It has only ruled for some form of restitution in no more than seven cases.
