THE TWO leaders yesterday appeared to overcome another stumbling block in the talks, reaffirming that the peace process would continue on the UN-agreed basis of a federation and not a confederation.
The agreement came just hours before the UN was due to finalise UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s latest progress report on the Cyprus talks, expected at the UN Security Council by the end of the week.
According to UN Special Adviser Alexander Downer yesterday, the leaders “had a good and long discussion” for around two and a half hours where they had the opportunity to discuss “a range of issues”.
Breaking from usual practice, the talks were held in a cosier environment with just President Demetris Christofias, Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu, their respective aides, UN Special Representative Lisa Buttenheim and Downer in the room. The remaining members of both negotiating teams remained outside during the “clear the air” meeting.
“They did have a discussion about the basis of the negotiations and both leaders agreed that the talks would continue on the agreed United Nations basis,” said Downer.
Speaking on his return to the presidential palace, Christofias said: “We have clarified that with Mr Eroglu we are talking about a federation and not a confederation.”
Downer reiterated that: “All chapters are being negotiated with the aim of increasing the points of convergence on the understanding that nothing is agreed until everything is agreed.”
Since last November when the two leaders met with Ban in New York, the UN has been pushing for all chapters to be discussed in an interrelated fashion, possibly to minimise the risk of negotiations getting stuck on the property issue and coming to a standstill.
Christofias has long called for property and territory to be discussed in tandem while Eroglu has resisted, wanting the latter to be discussed in an international conference with Turkey sitting at the table.
Observers have speculated that Eroglu is not prepared to take political responsibility for any concessions on territory alone, and without Turkey.
Downer’s statement that all chapters are being negotiated is more likely an appeal than a statement of fact. While the two aides, Georgios Iacovou and Kudret Ozersay, have been meeting frequently and discussing a wide range of issues, the two leaders have yet to sit down and specifically discuss security or territory. In fact, their recent meetings have mostly been procedural in nature, in an effort to find agreement on how to move forward.
Yesterday’s meeting was seen as a “positive step”, however, as it “cleared certain distortions which had been lingering”, said a source close to the talks.
It was “a positive reaffirmation that the talks could proceed along a common path”, said the source.
So far, the leaders, and their two aides in greater detail, have been looking at governance and power sharing, the economy and EU affairs, with “good progress” made on the latter two.
The aides will meet again tomorrow, while the leaders will meet this Friday to discuss governance and power-sharing. The property chapter remains on the boil, while territory and security still remain at arm’s length.
The same source highlighted that the way the talks were being held, any chapter could be opened at any time.
Eroglu was quoted in the Turkish Cypriot press last week saying that Turkish guarantees in Cyprus were a “red line” for him.
He went on to accuse the Greek Cypriot leadership of not wanting peace in Cyprus, adding: “I have been working for the perpetuation of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. Cyprus Turks should continue to exist as independent and sovereign people.”
A newsletter from Eroglu’s office went as far as to report that last Friday’s meeting between the two leaders was not cancelled because Christofias was ill, as had been stated, but due to his being “disturbed” by reports that Ozersay met with high level officials at the UN’s headquarters in New York.
Meanwhile, Downer left yesterday for New York as the finishing touches on Ban’s progress report were being made.
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@ ALL
The comment attributed to me was not written by me so apologies for any misunderstanding. It is unfortunate that our policy of having an open forum is being abused so frequently by people who resort to insults instead of arguing their point.
George Psyllides
