PRESIDENT DEMETRIS Christofias picked up the phone to Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat yesterday following the cancellation of the talks that were due to take place earlier in the day.
Although the leaders spoke together, it was clear that all was not forgiven.
“There was a breach of the agreement by the other side, and let them not play the fool. What happened (on Wednesday) at Limnitis went way beyond the letter and spirit of what we had agreed between us,” said government spokesman Stefanos Stefanou yesterday.
During their phone conversation the two leaders exchanged views what had happened at Limnitis during the Ayios Mamas pilgrimage, which turned into a fiasco and agreed to discuss the matter further at their next planned meeting on September 10.
An informal meeting between Christofias and the party leaders last night at the Presidential Palace also aimed to silence critics of the government over its own handling of the affair, at least for now.
The second round of direct talks between Christofias and Talat was postponed by the President following the failure of 650 Greek Cypriots to make it past the Limnitis crossing on Wednesday to attend an annual service at the Church of Ayios Mamas.
Twenty-seven buses filled with Greek Cypriot pilgrims turned back from Limnitis crossing after Turkish Cypriot ‘police’ boarded, demanded to see IDs and then refused entry to those who were not on the official list or whose ID names were somewhat different to those on the list.
Both sides blamed the other for the cancelled pilgrimage with the Turkish Cypriot leadership saying the buses turned up late, with extra people on board who were not on the agreed list. The Greek Cypriots argued there was an over-zealous handling of the affair, with a failure to show mutual respect and understanding, following strict efforts to check every single pilgrim’s identity.
The whole fiasco threw a spanner in the works of the peace process, leading Christofias to call for “more mutual respect” from the Turkish Cypriot side, while UN Special Envoy Alexander Downer registered his disappointment.
However, the affair could end up being just another bump on the long rollercoaster ride that is the Cyprus peace talks, similar to last year’s when Greek Cypriot pilgrims again failed to make it to Ayios Mamas via Limnitis, just days before the real start of the direct talks.
Following yesterday’s phone conversation between the two leaders, the talks appear back on track with the second round now scheduled to start next Thursday.
The incident is not without consequence, however, as sharp comments from political players on both sides of the divide and abroad yesterday burst the bubble of hope precariously hovering above the UN-controlled Nicosia airport.
Turkish Cypriot ‘prime minister’ Dervis Eroglu accused Christofias of “leaving the negotiations table with lame excuses”, saying he had “no intention for reconciliation”. Talat’s spokesman Hasan Ercakica said the cancellation was an effort by the Greek Cypriot side to slow down the talks using “flimsy excuses”. Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said that alternative solutions would have to be found if further delays were experienced, while Turkey’s chief EU negotiator Egemen Bagis told reporters that the temporary delay demonstrated Greek Cypriots’ lack of commitment to resolving the island’s 35-year division.
“I think the decision taken by the Greek Cypriot administration (to cancel talks) again shows how determined they are to block a resolution,” Bagis told Reuters.
He also reiterated that Turkey had no intention of opening its ports and airports to Cypriot-flagged ships and planes until the EU establishes direct trade with the Turkish Cypriots.
Although Greek Cypriot politicians shared in a chorus of criticism against the Turkish Cypriot side for its handling of the Limnitis affair, the government also came under a spot of fire from the home side.
DISY leader Nicos Anastasiades noted that better coordination by the government of the pilgrims’ trip could have avoided what some people wanted to provoke. He added this does not justify the actions of the occupying regime in taking advantage of certain mistakes.
Coalition partner DIKO’s acting head Georghios Colocassides berated the government for entering into an arrangement with the Turkish Cypriot side in the first place, saying: “You can’t trust someone who is a systematic violator.”
AKEL’s Andros Kyprianou called for unity on the domestic front, saying criticism of the government would only create an even heavier climate.
Christofias had a two-hour meeting with party leaders last night, briefing them on the Limnitis incident and his recent visit to France and Syria. Following the meeting, the party leaders avoided further comment, saying they would submit their positions at the next National Council meeting on September 14.
Anastasiades did however note that postponing the talks was the right thing to do, as the meassage had to be sent that credibility was needed on both sides.
