The reason why there is no solution to the Cyprus problem

I’ll tell you what the real reason is ... but, before I get into that ... let me first take the time to welcome back one of my warped media friends, you know who you are. Yea, I know I’ve taken a bit of a hiatus but I’m back much to your dismay! Well, maybe for a short period of time. A little tip from me to you...

Keep checking back at this site, you just may learn a thing or two.

Where was I, ohh yes, the reason why there is no solution to the Cyprus problem. Here 'tis:

There is no solution due to the fact that Turkey refuses to comply with UN resolutions, but also due to the international community's unwillingness or inability to impose them. I know what some of you are thinking--but Konstelion, Turkey is a NATO member and a strong reliable US ally. Nevertheless my friends, Turkey must be made to comply with international laws and obligations. That is the only way to resolve the Cyprus issue.

Negotiating with intransigents.

Check this video out and see the word games being played by Mr. Talat who in the video is being interviewed by a reporter. Cyprus, for example, has no refugees. That’s right, Mr. Talat stated that “They're not anymore refugees...” The warped media out there reading this should take note ... the politically correct term now is “displaced.”

Apparently, a lot of things are “not fair” in the breakaway North.

Why can’t our breakaway State have direct trade with the EU, it is not fair! Giving back a ghost town? Why that’s not fair! Let’s see, refugees forced to evacuate, their legal rights continue to be disregarded and Talat says “of course it is not fair to ask for Varosha (back).” Can you believe this hypocrisy? Even the reporter is taken aback by the interview, lowering his glasses to look at Mr. Talat as if to say ... are you for real?

Ever read stories coming out of the occupied North like--Why cant little Tunc Ozgurgun’s Turkish Cypriot football team play internationally? It is not fair! Silly articles written by silly folks. I’ll tell you what’s not fair ... using Varosha as a bargaining chip by Turkey and the Northern breakaway State as part of an overall settlement to the Cyprus problem. We are talking about thousands of lives who would like to return home!

When asked about sending the Turkish occupation troops back to Turkey; Mr. Talat is quick with his pre-rehearsed response. Why, it’s a matter of security. Security, yes, even at this very moment the Greek Cypriots have triangulated our location. You see, we fear their military. Are these logical responses by Mr. Talat? No? Well that’s why the Cyprus issue is not resolved today.

An enemy of Cyprus

Tuesday night’s televised press conference by President Papadopoulos has been met with angry reaction from the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Turkish Cypriot leadership—ok, so what else is new?

Turkey strongly criticized Mr. Papadopoulos who said in a televised press conference that the Turkish occupation army “was an enemy of Cyprus.”

More on that statement a bit later ... let's focus on the part of the press conference that I found interesting, shall we? The President stated that during his meeting last week with Mr. Talat ... the Turkish Cypriot leader actually revealed that a majority of Turkish Cypriots do not support a federal Cyprus, no kidding. Instead, they favor a two-state solution. Another statement that was made by the President which really surprised me was that Mr. Talat didn't even know that Cyprus is actually an EU net contributor. Mr. Papadopoulos stated that...

"He (Mr. Talat) did not know that Cyprus is among the few countries which is a net contributor, that is we give the EU more funds than we take."

Interesting indeed. Now, let’s get back to that statement by Mr. Papadopoulos where he referred to the Turkish army occupying Cyprus as an “enemy” and the subsequent predictable response from Ankara.

This is what the Turkish Foreign Ministry had to say:

“It must be remembered that the declaration of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) as an enemy serves peace by no means. It is unacceptable that the TSK is turned into a target. Papadopoulos is supposed to understand that.”

The Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman, Mr. Levent Bilman, went on to say that...

“It appears Papadopoulos forgot the fact that Turkey is a guarantor country on the island together with Greece and Britain and that the presence of the Turkish armed forces on the island legally stems from international agreements.”

Mr. Talat, who is a strong supporter of the TSK, parroted the Turkish Foreign Ministry by stating the main obstacle to a peaceful solution was the Greek Cypriot tendency to treat the Turkish troops stationed on the island as an occupation army. Honestly, an argument this weak and absurd doesn’t even deserve a response.

In a statement before his departure to New York to address the UN General Assembly, the President of the Cypriot Republic responded to the rhetoric coming out of Ankara by stating:

“Our view is well known, the presence of the Turkish occupation forces and the Turkish invasion, cannot be legally based on the Treaty of Guarantee, and their presence in Cyprus, is, in any case, illegal. We said that if Turkey believes otherwise, then it can appeal or agree to appeal to the International Court of Justice in The Hague.”

More on all this in the video below.

Take a look at this video which starts off with the Government Spokesman Vassilis Palmas reaction. The video also focuses in on the political leader of EDEK Mr. Yiannakis Omirou. Omirou’s response is priceless (ha).

Mr. Talat, the Annan Plan is Dead...

And there is no chance of resurrecting it.

Further more, all five United Nations Security Council permanent members have endorsed the July 8th agreement as the only process now on the table for a Cyprus settlement.

Why are you trying to dilute this agreement?

You state there is nothing in the July 8 agreement prohibiting time frames. Why all this sudden talk on time frames? For the past 14 months, you have done nothing but drag your feet with regard to the implementation of the agreement that was reached between you and Mr. Papadopoulos on the 8th of July during the Mission of Under-Secretary-General Ibrahim Gambari.

The president of the Republic has extended his hand and offered to meet again with you soon to proceed forward with the peace process. Why have you turned down this invitation?

(Cypriot media coverage below on the failed meeting)




From the Cyprus Weekly:

No breakthrough

Not clear when leaders will meet again

By Menelaos Hadjicostis

HOPES that the Papadopoulos-Talat talks would deliver a needed breakthrough putting the July 8 agreement on track faded as fast as it took to read a terse, three-sentence wrap-up statement pronouncing the process comatose.

It’s unclear when the two will meet again and indications are that the Turkish side wants to dilute the agreement and render it inert so that it can be supplanted by direct talks on a resurrected Annan Plan, Nicosia charged.

"Mr Talat wanted changes to the Gambari process. He wants immediate talks without the committees, or for the role of the committees to be limited to a purely technical level of listing the headings to be discussed," President Tassos Papadopoulos told reporters after the three-hour meeting.

The rationale behind the Nicosia-inspired, twin-track procedure (a.k.a. Gambari process) that both sides signed off on last year is to task committees with discussing day-to-day and core Cyprus issues so as to adequately prepare the ground for full-fledged negotiations.

Grapple

The two community leaders would get together periodically to grapple with major sticking points officials would point out.

But the Turkish Cypriot leader sought to "re-arrange" the agreement by setting a two-month deadline on committee talks thus "accelerating" what he said was an open-ended process that "would last 14 months, 14 years, or 140 years.

"We observed that there was no psychological preparedness for the opening of comprehensive negotiations," said Mehmet Ali Talat, who also wanted a reunification deal by the end of 2008.

"Our proposal was aimed at accelerating the July 8 process, disciplining it and turning it into a process that can yield results. How is this moving away from the July 8 process?"

Nicosia’s unequivocal reply was that comprehensive negotiations without due preparation free from time constraints are doomed to failure.

Such a failure could raise the spectre of permanent partition as the international community’s post-referendum disenchantment could coalesce into the belief that there can be no Cyprus settlement.

Papadopoulos said diminishing the role of the committees would "not have accelerated the process, but on the contrary, would have expedited the realisation that there is deadlock".

Strident

Papadopoulos rejected both the notion of open-ended talks dragging on indefinitely as well as setting time constraints to negotiations.

He said slapping a deadline on the process cannot guarantee there would be adequate preparation for substantial talks to take place on the leadership level.

"We’re not talking about discussions that would carry on indefinitely or over the long term, simply the course of discussions themselves would dictate the timetable," said Papadopoulos.

Government Spokesman Vassilis Palmas said Talat was so strident in his positions that he turned down a Papadopoulos invitation to meet again on Monday for another try at a deal.

Papadopoulos proposed an October date for another face-to-face sit-down but Talat was non-committal.

"We’ll make yet another effort to implement this process…the President of the Republic tried to convince Mr Talat to implement the agreement and Mr Talat tried every way to free himself from it," said Palmas.

Palmas said the Talat’s pitch for regular meetings with Papadopoulos intended to railroad the process back to directly negotiating the defunct Annan Plan, irrespective of whether the committees had marked progress.

"President Papadopoulos rejected carrying out negotiations based on the Annan plan as Mr Talat insinuated…the agreed-upon procedure is the July 8 process which foresees the basis for a settlement arising from the implementation of the agreement," said Palmas.

All five UN Security Council permanent members have endorsed July 8 as the only process now in play that could lead to full-fledged settlement negotiations.

Nicosia’s sees July 8 as a vehicle to shift the basis of a Cyprus settlement away from the Annan Plan that Greek Cypriots voted down for fear that it would put the entire island under Turkey’s thumb.

Unready

Analysts suggested this failure could mean Ankara is either unready or unwilling to get the ball rolling on Cyprus on the belief that continued stalemate won’t hurt its EU accession prospects.

The only glimmer of hope for resuscitating July 8 lies in the fact that both leaders agreed to keep the process going by meeting again.

"Mr Papadopoulos and Mr Talat held their discussion in a constructive atmosphere," said a sombre Moller, reading from a prepared statement.

"They agreed on the need for the earliest start of the process, and discussed other issues, leading to a comprehensive settlement. They agreed to continue their contact through the United Nations and to meet again when appropriate."

Despite a shared understanding of the need for "the earliest start," the obvious problem with that statement is when the two leaders would meet again. The vague "when appropriate" leaves the process hanging in the air for at least until late autumn.

Politicians from across the political spectrum gave their reaction to the Papadopoulos – Talat Meeting

Politicians from across the Cypriot political spectrum gave their reaction to the Papadopoulos – Talat meeting. The following video is a sampling of early reaction to that meeting:

Q & A by the President on his meeting with Talat

The President of the Republic took questions from reporters after his meeting yesterday with Turkish Cypriot leader Mr. Mehmet Ali Talat:

Question: We heard a general comment by Mr. Moller following your meeting with Mr. Talat. Can you tell us something more?

Answer: First of all, let me say that the meeting took place in order to facilitate the 8 July process and not in order to start exchanging arguments though the Press, with a longer and more enlightening communiqué. This was not the purpose of the meeting. We discussed mainly, we only discussed, I would say, the 8 July process, which was the issue at hand. We insisted on its speedy and unconditional implementation because we believe it is a process than can positively push forward the talks for a comprehensive solution of the Cyprus problem on a new basis. And we believe that our suggestions would have shortened the time needed leading to substantive talks and to the solution of the Cyprus problem. We insisted a great deal that the Committees should seriously prepare the ground and, according to the Gambari process, if progress is achieved at the level of the Committees, the leaders of the two communities will meet periodically to negotiate the points of dissent which the Committees will point out. Mr. Talat wanted changes to be made to the Gambari process. He wanted immediate talks without the work of the Committees or he wanted the role of the Committees to be restricted only to a technical level of noting down the topics to be discussed. This could not have accelerated the process but, on the contrary, it would accelerate finalizing the fact that there is a deadlock. Nevertheless, the meeting took place in a constructive spirit. We shall continue the contacts through the United Nations to find a way to overcome the present difficulty. Mr. Talat also raised, of course, the usual issues they raise, not as part of the agenda but during the discussion.

Question: The procedure will continue the same way as before, with Mr. Tzionis and Mr. Perter, or is there a change?

Answer: First, there will be contacts through the United Nations. We insisted this was the correct procedure, not outside the United Nations framework, and we believe that the proposal we made is both practical and effective. It is not easy for the two leaders to meet on a daily basis, within a specific period of one or two months. One has to evaluate, however, whether this procedure alone could yield positive results or, reversely, whether it would lead to finalizing the fact that there is a deadlock.

Question: How do you address the fact that there is no time table for the beginning of the talks?

Answer: I don’t think that the talks should be defined in terms of dates. They will be defined in terns of the progress that will take place. In other words, if you set a date, in a month's time let's say, the point is that there must be adequate preparation beforehand in order to make sure that a substantive discussion can take place between the two leaders. And that was the point on which we insisted. On our part we don’t talk about discussions which will be extended indefinitely or in the depth of time. Simply, the course of the discussions itself determines the time framework. Since the two leaders will be meeting to supervise the work of the Committees, to give instructions, to negotiate the points of dissent pointed out by the Committees, this can be done in a month, in 15 days, in two or three months, depending on the pace of the work of the Committees. It is, in addition, an incentive for those who will participate in the Committees to really produce work in a positive spirit, to point out points in dissent, perhaps to submit alternative suggestions, so that the two leaders can have a political discussion.

Question: Is there a risk that the other side will bide for time?

Answer: There is always this risk. In other words, if you set the 15th of September, for example, as the starting date for the talks, won’t the risk still be there? Is there any assurance that the two leaders, meeting on their own, will reach an agreement?

Mr. Mehmet Ali Talat’s Fallacy

The United Nations force in Cyprus was today putting the final touches on the arrangements for tomorrows scheduled meeting between the President of the Republic, Mr. Papadopoulos, and the Turkish Cypriot leader of the breakaway Northern Cyprus Statelet, Mr. Mehmet Ali Talat. The meeting will take place inside the UN controlled Nicosia International Airport Zone around 4:00 PM (+2 GMT) Cyprus Time.

For those that are not aware--Nicosia International Airport (IATA: NIC) is an abandoned airport that lies directly in the UN controlled Buffer Zone which separates the Republic and the occupied North.

The pre-meeting statements:

Mr. Papadopoulos said that he looked forward to the meeting with Mr. Talat and stated that “our purpose is to break through the deadlock and expeditiously move forward with the implementation of the 8 July process.”

Let's move on to what Mr. Talat had to say, shall we?

“Turkish Cypriots have ruled themselves since 1963. Today, they are the owners of a state, a fully functioning administration. They will not sacrifice this,” and went on to state that “apart from marginal groups, not a single Turkish Cypriot sees the Turkish army as an invader.” What was that, Mr. Talat? Marginal groups that make up less than one person? It shouldn’t take you too long to realize the fallacy of it all. Are we to expect any progress from this meeting? No.

Nicholas Burns: Need for Justice in Cyprus

From the Cyprus Weekly:

Need for justice in Cyprus – Burns

By Demetra Molyva

US Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns yesterday urged ``the need for justice in Cyprus,'' and called for a US-backed initiative for the reunification of the island in a federal form.

"We cannot forget the need for justice, the need to resolve the conflict that has gone on for too long and we need to put the determination and strength of the United States as well as Europe behind a fresh and new initiative by the Secretary General of the United States for peace for Cyprus.

“I think our policy has been very clear. The United States supports one government on Cyprus and we recognise only one government on Cyprus that is the government of the Republic of Cyprus,'' Burns said.

He was addressing the Nicosia conference of Overseas Cypriots in a video address from Washington. He expressed his intention to visit Nicosia in the autumn.

He stressed Washington's desire to improve relations with Cyprus saying that, "I want to express a commitment by the United States to improve our relationship with our friend, the Republic of Cyprus...We've had our share of disagreement over the past few years particularly over the Annan Plan of the United Nations.

Friendship

“But I think what we have to do is put those disagreements behind us, we know we have a friend in the Government of Nicosia, the Republic and we have to honour that friendship. And that would be the basis of our trip. We will elevate this relationship to a new level and will put our energy behind the effort to support a settlement for Cyprus.''

He went on to declare that "we know the Cypriots are friends because we have been friends since the beginning of the state. We know they are friends because the Cypriot American community, which has been such a strong and vibrant community, throughout the United States. We certainly felt that friendship a year ago now, during the horrible war in Lebanon when 15,000 American citizens were evacuated from the war zone in Beirut and they managed to get to Cyprus by ship and all of them were greeted there by the Cypriot people. They were put up, they were fed, and they were clothed.

“They were received very warmly and then managed to get on their way back to the United States. We'll never forget that act of friendship of the government of the Republic of Cyprus and the people of Cyprus."

Burns gave examples of the US and Cyprus working together in a practical sense, for peace in the world and the maintenance of stability.

"I know all of you are concerned, as you should be, about the lack of peace on Cyprus, the lack of justice, the fact that the island was occupied by force and that the island has been divided for so long.

“I know that many of you have lost your homes, many of you have had families divided, this is a great tragedy and we Americans cannot and should not forget about this tragedy.

"I know that Cyprus has been divided and Nicosia has been divided longer than Berlin was divided. So it seems to me and it seems to our government that we need to make a renewed effort now to try and resume the international negotiations, led by the United Nations to seek a just resolution of the Cyprus problem.

Need for justice

"As you know, we work with the leaders of the Turkish Cypriot community as part of our efforts to promote a settlement but that does not in any way shape of form signify diplomatic recognition.

“We only recognise the Republic of Cyprus. It's been our long standing policy to support a bizonal, bicommunal federation. Cyprus must be in our view one country, structured to recognise and to protect the rights of all the communities on the island.

"Some polls say the Greek Cypriots may prefer a unitary state, meaning a multi-ethnic state in which there is no separate governing entity for the Turkish Cypriot community. Other polls show that there is a sentiment among Turkish Cypriots to break away and have a separate state on the island of Cyprus. Our policy is federalism, and that is also the policy of the European Union and that is also the basis of what the United Nations are saying on Cyprus."

He referred to the success of the federal system in the US.

"Our view is that we should have one Cyprus, on a bizonal, bicommunal basis and we hope that progress can be made on that basis.

"We were encouraged a year ago in the summer of 2006, when President Papadopoulos and Mr Talat met when they agreed to establish technical committees and working groups to discuss day-to-day and substantive issues.

"It was a positive step forward. This kind of spirit can lay the ground and we believe that this kind of spirit of working together could lay the groundwork for a re-engagement of the United Nations in Cyprus for negotiations.

“So we will support this process, we will use the influence of the United States to encourage the United Nations to re-engage.

"And when I make my trip to Nicosia, this autumn, it's one of the leading issues that I will talk about with the government of Cyprus. And this is how we will be supportive in a renewed effort for peace, in a renewed effort for justice.

"We know the situation is difficult for families, for all the Cypriots who now live apart from their country, all over the world as distinguished citizens of democratic nations.

“We hope that the future of Cyprus will be one, of course, of democracy and freedom and justice on a bizonal and bicommunal basis for the peace that must come to the people on the island."

Papadopoulos Interview with L΄Express

Here is the full transcript of the President's recent interview with the French periodical L'Express.

Cyprus in NATO?

The title of this post seems pretty implausible to me, but then again, I am not the one who had the meeting with the U.S. Under Secretary of State Nicholas Burns. Take a look at this article from GreekNews and decide for yourselves.

Under Secretary of State Nicholas Burns, and Assistant Secretary Daniel Fried, Meet with Greek American Leaders --
Washington, D.C.- Leading members of the Greek expatriate community ascertained that the United States is determined to inaugurate a "new beginning" in efforts to solve the issue of Cyprus, following a meeting they had at the State Department with Assistant Secretary of State Nicholas Burns and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs Dan Freed.
read more »

Bakoyannis' Interview With AP

The newly appointed Foreign Minister of Greece did not mince words during her interview today with the Associated Press. FM Dora Bakoyannis stated that Turkey must live up to its obligations as a prospective EU member ... "All countries adjusted their laws, accepted the European standards so that they could join the EU. Turkey must also do this. There is no Europe a la carte for any country, and not for Turkey." Well said. Read more on Foreign Minister Bakoyannis’ interview below:

Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis called on Turkey to live up to its obligations as a prospective EU member, including the retraction of a threat to declare war if Greece expands its territorial waters in the Aegean Sea, during an interview she gave to the Associated Press in Athens on Tuesday.

Bakoyannis also said that Turkey's Islamic government should allow the re-opening of a theological seminary that is important for the survival of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Istanbul where the spiritual leader of the world's 250 million Orthodox Christians has his headquarters.

"The final European course of Turkey will be judged by Turkey itself. Turkey has assumed some obligations and these obligations must be implemented," she told the AP.

"All countries adjusted their laws, accepted the European standards so that they could join the EU. Turkey must also do this. There is no Europe a la carte for any country, and not for Turkey," she said.

According to the AP, Bakoyannis said Greece's relations with Turkey, the Turkish occupation of the northern part of the island of Cyprus, and the volatile western Balkans would be key issues she would discuss with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice during a meeting in Washington on Thursday.

Bakoyannis leaves for her first official visit to the US on Wednesday.

She said that a media report that Turkey would declare war if Greece extended its territorial waters from six to 12 nautical miles from the coast was an "anachronism".

Turkey's leading Hurriyet newspaper reported Monday that a classified Turkish foreign policy document it obtained said Greece cannot increase its waters to 12 nautical miles, and that Turkey must maintain its deterrence in the face of such a threat. The report could not be independently verified, according to the AP.

"I think this is an anachronism," Bakoyannis said. "Turkey at times is reported in the media as bringing back this position. This position is against the law of the sea and it is an issue that concerns the European Union. I have many times said that these types of declarations don't help Turkey come closer to Europe, which it has said is its main goal."

Relations thawed in 1999 and Greece became Turkey's leading EU sponsor. Turkey also has until the end of the year to open its ports and airports to trade from Cyprus.

"It was not an easy decision to promote and support the European course of Turkey," Bakoyannis said.

She said some progress had been made on restarting talks to unify Cyprus after the rejection by Greek Cypriots two years ago in a referendum of a UN-sponsored peace plan. She said recent talks between Cypriot President Tassos Papadopoulos and UN Secretary General Kofi Annan "again put forward discussions for the promotion of a viable solution on Cyprus."

One of Turkey's more important obligations, Bakoyannis added, was to respect human rights and religious freedom. She said it could start by re-opening the Halki seminary located on a Turkish island off Istanbul which has for generations trained the Patriarchate's priests, AP notes.

"The issue of the Patriarchate has to do with religious freedom inside Turkey. The existence of the Patriarchate in the long run is dependent on the function of the theological school at Halki," she told the AP. "It is not by chance that all countries in Europe and the United States urge Turkey to change its policies on the theological school of Halki and let it function like it did before 1971."

Turkey has been under pressure from the United States and the EU to re-open Halki, closed in 1971 under a law that put religious education under state control.

Although Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos - a Turkish citizen and ethnic Greek - is considered to be the spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox, Turkey has long refused to accept any international role for him. It rejects his use of the title 'ecumenical' or universal, and argues the patriarch is merely spiritual leader of Istanbul's dwindling Greek community.

 "I believe that if Turkey opens the Halki school it will send a very important, symbolic message to the entire world. That an Islamic government like that of Mr. Erdogan respects human and religious freedoms," Bakoyannis told the AP. "I have said this many times to my Turkish interlocutors and I admit I am very saddened that no action has been taken in this direction."

Press Conference: Papadopoulos Annan

Following their meeting today in Paris, President Papadopoulos and the Secretary-General Kofi Annan held a joint press conference.

Question: What will be the role of the EU during this process?

Secretary-General: As you know, during the exercise of my good offices over the years, we have cooperated very effectively with the European Union and we intended to cooperate with them. In some situations they have provided experts and they have provided other assistance. In some cases, [we] exchanged ideas on some of the technical issues and process, of the exercise of my good offices and I would expect [them] to work with me in that spirit. Besides, they have a direct interest in the settlement of this issue.

President Papadopoulos: I agree with the Secretary-General. Our position is very clear. We want the European Union to have a more active role in the process and I have assurances that they are prepared to do that. The Cyprus problem remains under the aegis of the United Nations and the Secretary-General.

Secretary-General: As I said, the EU has always been supportive and I expect them to continue to be supportive. There is no problem about it.

Question: Mr. Secretary-General, what to you think of the recent Turkish proposals and, second, are you planning to invite Mr. Talat for the same meeting and are you going to appoint a new Cyprus envoy?

Secretary-General: First of all, we just wished Mr. Talat well. Be patient and be merciful. Let him get well first. Once he’s back on his feet, it is not excluded that we will have an opportunity to meet in New York some time in the future. As I said, we took stock of the negotiations, of the process of settlement of the Cyprus issue and we also touched on the Turkish initiative. We are going to take a look at a whole series of actions and Turkey does admit that it has an obligation, under the EU requirement, to undertake certain steps which it will take. But, of course, there were other measures proposed in their plan of action and, today, we looked at a whole series of other activities that the two sides can undertake, am I talking of the Turkish Cypriot side and [the Greek Cypriot side] and we will see what proposals we bring together for the parties to act on.

On the question of appointment of an envoy, yes, in the application of my Good Offices I usually do have an envoy and, at the right time, I will appoint an envoy, but that does not mean that we are not doing any work on the question. First of all, I have a very competent Special Representative on the ground, Mr. Michael Mψller, whom I hope most of you have met, and he’s going to work with the parties on certain steps and certain actions that they will need to take. We will be back-stopping and preparing for these things in New York with my Under-Secretary-General, Ibrahim Gambari and his staff, and when the time is ripe I will appoint an envoy.

Question: Did you also discuss the issue of the missing people?

Secretary-General: Yes, we are just about to appoint a third member of the [Missing Persons] Committee and they will begin their work very soon and I do expect the two communities to work very expeditiously on this and move forward. There will be a full-time member [of the Committee] on the island.

Question: Do you consider this meeting with President Papadopoulos a step forward in the process of the Cyprus forward?

Secretary-General: In negotiations, sometimes people say that as long as you are talking you are making progress. But what I have indicated, what I would want to see, is a much narrower gap between our words and our actions. In the next couple of months, we are going to do whatever we can to do narrow that gap as we move ahead with the process.

Question: Mr. Secretary-General did you get in this meeting some new ideas from Pres. Papadopoulos [inaudible] and that the process will start soon. Is there enough time to do it before the end of your term?

Secretary-General: Let me say that, yes, there were quite a few proposals that were put on the table this afternoon, which we are going to analyze carefully and see how we can put them into action, after consulting the other side, working together and come up with a programme of action which we can begin to work on the ground. Obviously, when you are handling these sorts of negotiations, where there is a will among the parties things can move very fast. When the will is not there, it can take you a long time. Let’s start with the initiatives I just said that we discussed today and begin to take concrete steps and see how things can be accelerated. And I hope that it will help bridge what I refer to as the gap between words and actions.

Question: It is a symbolic question. We see you for the first time standing outside of the UN in front of the flag of the Republic of Cyprus. Is this some kind of measures that we have to keep in mind?

Secretary-General: Let me assure you that I will not want his job. I am looking forward at the end of the year, of having a balance between action and reflection and taking some rest. So, do not worry, I am not heading to Nicosia to take on another job.

President Papadopoulos: I will send my best wishes to Mr. Talat for a quick recovery. I wish him a speedy recovery. [inaudible]

Question: Mr. Annan how optimistic are you?

Secretary-General: I am always optimistic.

Papadopoulos Annan Meeting

From The CNA:

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan noted today with satisfaction that the leaders of both communities in Cyprus have agreed that bicommunal discussions on a series of issues, agreement on which is needed for the benefit of all Cypriots, will be undertaken at the technical level.

A joint statement issued after an hour-long meeting in Paris between Annan and Cypriot President Tassos Papadopoulos, read out to the press in English by Annan`s Spokesman Stephan Dujarric, says that Annan and President Papadopoulos agreed to continue their ongoing dialogue with the expressed aim at accelerating the search for a comprehensive, fair and mutually acceptable solution to the Cyprus problem.

According to the statement, ``UN Secretary General Mr. Kofi Annan and President Mr. Tassos Papadopoulos met in Paris today to review the situation in Cyprus and examined modalities for moving forward on the process leading to the reunification of the island.``

``They agreed, as they have in the past, that the resumption of the negotiating process within the framework of the Secretary General`s good offices must be timely and based on careful preparation,`` Dujarric said.

He added that ``to that end the Secretary General was pleased to note that the leaders of both communities have agreed that bicommunal discussions on a series of issues, agreement on which is needed for the benefit of all Cypriots, will be undertaken at the technical level.``

``The Secretary General and President Papadopoulos expressed their common hope that these discussions would help restore trust between the two communities as well as prepare the way for the earliest full resumption of the negotiating process,`` he said.

Dujarric added that ``the Secretary General noted that he had received assurances from the leader of the Turkish Cypriot community Mr. Talat that he shared the same aspirations.``

``The Secretary General and Mr. Papadopoulos also agreed that it would be beneficial for all concerned and would greatly improve the atmosphere for further talks if progress could be achieved on further disengagement of forces and demilitarisation of the island, on the complete de-mining of Cyprus and on the issue of Famagusta,`` he said.

He pointed out that ``they took note of the recent decision by the European Union to release the much awaited funds for the benefit of the Turkish Cypriot community.``

``In this context they expressed their warm wishes for the full and speedy recovery of Mr. Talat,`` he added.

Concluding the statement, Dujarric said ``the Secretary General and President Papadopoulos agreed to continue their ongoing dialogue with the expressed aim at accelerating the search for a comprehensive, fair and mutually acceptable solution to the Cyprus problem.``

Following the statement, President Papadopoulos and Annan replied to questions.

News Roundup

Development Boom to Legal Mess
The authorities in the occupied North are preparing to pour in large amounts of money into the development of parts of the Morphou region. Morphou (Guzelyurt in Turkish) is currently under Turkish Cypriot administration. It is believed that, under a future agreement, Morphou would return to the Greek Cypriots as part of an overall settlement to the Cyprus problem. The Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris today (21.02.06) quoted Mr. Talat as saying "Strengthening our economy is more important than the Cyprus problem." Mr. Talat's remark was made while addressing the "Association for the Development of the Area of Morphou." A small bit of info on Morphou: The town of Morphou fell to the advancing Turkish troops on August 16, 1974. An estimated 8,000 Greek Cypriots from Morphou were forced to abandon their properties.

EU Backs UN Sponsored Talks
The European Union on Tuesday said it supports UN backed talks between Turkey and Cyprus, but acknowledged that resolving the conflict between the two countries would not be easy. "The Austrian presidency is doing everything in its power to support the current UN sponsored process," Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel, whose country currently holds the bloc's rotating six month presidency, said in a statement. "We know the situation is very complex and difficult and that it will not be easy to solve the conflict." Schuessel's comments came after a meeting in Vienna with Cypriot president Tassos Papadopoulos.

International Film Festival
Cyprus will hold its first film festival in March. The festival is a three-day event being held on March 24-27, and will include the screening of 130 films from 40 countries competing in feature film, short film and animation categories. "We have a VIP jury for the entries, it will be a very glamorous event," said organiser Petra Terzi. "Cyprus offers several comparative advantages to filmmakers because of its landscape and climate," said Vakis Loizides of the Cyprus tourism board. Authorities were preparing a package of incentives to encourage studios to the island, he said.
Cyprus International Film Festival: http://www.ciff2006.com/

Reviving Peace Efforts

The Cypriot President will meet with U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan in Paris on February 28 to discuss reviving efforts to reunite the war divided island nation. U.N. spokesman Mr. Stephane Dujarric today confirmed the Cypriot government’s announcement of the meeting. The spokesman said the agenda will include reviewing the Cypriot issue and discussing ways of moving forward on reunification. Please read below for more details.

Tassos and Annan to meet in Paris

BY ANDREAS HADJIPAPAS

PRESIDENT Papadopoulos and UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan will meet in Paris on February 28 to explore ways of reviving the stalled Cyprus peace talks.

The crucial issue is whether the UN chief will be persuaded to appoint a special envoy for Cyprus who will shuttle between the two sides in order to see if there is enough common ground allowing the UN to launch a new initiative.

So far, the Secretary-General has been reluctant to do so, noting that there remained a wide gap between the sides.

He now wants to make sure any new effort will have reasonable chances of success.

Presidential Under-secretary Christodoulos Pashiardis said yesterday the President was "ready to listen but also to make concrete suggestions." This was seen as an indirect reply to critics, who have been claiming Papadopoulos is not keen to resume the peace process.

Papadopoulos, who has dismissed the Turkish "action plan" announced by Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul last month, is expected to present counter-proposals, involving the return of the deserted town of Varosha and the joint operation of Famagusta port under EU supervision.

The official announcement about the forthcoming Paris meeting said Papadopoulos and Annan had agreed to meet "in order to review and take stock of the situation in Cyprus and discuss ways of moving forward the process of reuniting the island."

Pashiardis said the two men would examine "effective ways of preparing the ground for the launching by the United Nations of a new effort to conduct meaningful talks with serious prospects of success".

Foreign Minister George Iacovou said that as a means of preparing the ground, the S-G could either appoint a resident representative, or send a high ranking UN official to the island periodically to carry out proximity talks between the sides and report back to him.

He stressed that this did not mean new talks were "imminent."

Reports suggest the aim is to see whether settlement talks, which grounded to a halt two years ago, can get off the ground by the summer, even th0ough most observers believe chances of a possible breakthrough will be better after the Turkish elections next year.

Iacovou said the important thing was to see whether the Turkish side was ready for "substantive" negotiations, after agreeing to consider "substantial changes" to the Annan Plan.

The Greek Cypriot side has already submitted to the UN a detailed list of changes to the Plan, which was rejected by the vast majority of Greek Cypriots in the May 2004 referendum.

The National Council will be meeting today under President Papadopoulos to review developments, following requests by the Opposition who have been expressing concern about the lack of movement, stressing that the protracted stagnation helped cement the island’s division. Iacovou said the Paris rendezvous showed that "there is mobility."

Papadopoulos is likely to tell Annan that any new UN brokered peace process musts see the full involvement of all five permanent members of the UN Security Council, not just of Britain and the US.

He also wants the European Union to play an active role in any new negotiations, since he insists that a settlement must be based on Security Council resolutions and the principles upon which the EU is founded.

President Papadopoulos leaves for Vienna on Sunday for a two-day working visit to Austria, which holds the rotating EU presidency.

He will meet Chancellor Wolfgang Schussel and Federal President Heinz Fischer, to explain Cyprus’s views on EU matters and efforts to resolve the problems of the divided island.

Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat said yesterday he was ready to resume negotiations "on the basis of the Annan Plan".

He added: "The Secretary General will probably decide after his meeting with Mr Papadopoulos whether he will take a new initiative. I believe the S-G will take this initiative, if the Greek Cypriot leader really desires this, if the meeting is not just for creating positive impressions in view of the election period."

Greek Prime Minister Costas Caramanlis, speaking during a brief visit to Germany, said his government’s policy on Cyprus and other national issues "does not change, is stable."

He said Greece was willing to contribute to efforts to find a just, workable and sustainable solution to the Cyprus problem. The solution should conform with international law, UN resolutions and the principles and values of the European Union, of which Cyprus is already a member.

Meanwhile, US deputy assistant Secretary of State Mathew Bryza has again put off his planned visit to the island, originally set for last summer. Although he said in Brussels he hoped to visit the region later this month, the US Embassy informed the Foreign Ministry this week that Bryza would probably be coming "some time in the spring."

Cyprus Weekly, 18 - 25 February 2006

Slaves & EU’s Prestige

French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy is currently in Ankara to help revive stalled talks to reunite Cyprus. The Turkish daily Zaman today talks about the meeting Mr. Philippe Douste-Blazy had with his Turkish counterpart.

Speaking at a joint press conference following their meeting, Mr. Gul mentioned that he briefed Mr. Douste-Blazy on the new action plan for Cyprus. Mr. Gul also brought up the issue of direct trade between the EU and Northern Cyprus. The Turkish daily Zaman, quoting the Turkish Foreign Minister, stated ... “Do not be a slave to the Greeks,” what a nonsensical statement. Mr. Gul went on to say that “Greeks block the regulations, which destroy the EU’s prestige.” He said that Turkey is willing to fulfill its commitments and that the EU should also fulfill its commitments to Northern Cyprus.

Mr. Gul is seeking direct trade between the EU and the breakaway statelet in the occupied north. Turkey's Foreign Minister also wants Northern Cyprus to have the ability of participating in various international organizations and sporting events. How do proposals like these help reunify the island? Can Mr. Gul tell us exactly what he means by reunification (for Cyprus) which he allegedly aspires to and promotes? Can anyone point to a Turkish proposal that does not insist on a settlement based on the continued separation of the two communities?

Highlights of the Proposal

Did i call it or what?

From The Turkish Daily Hurriyet

Some of the highlights of the Ankara document sent to Annan are as follows:

*****A call for renewed efforts to work on the Annan plan for Cyprus from all sides. The Annan plan was rejected by the Greek side of the island in a referendum, but the Ankara document calls for its re-enlivening.

*****A call for the EU to bring about the promises of direct trade and aid made to Northern Cyprus prior to the Greek referendum.

*****A call for preparations to be made in order to bring about direct trade possibilities with Northern Cyprus for any country which wishes. Isolationary measures placed on Northern Cypriot ports and airports should be lifted according to this too.

*****A reassurance that, following these measures, restrictions against Greek Cypriot use of Northern Cypriot ports and airports will also be lifted.

Diplomatic timing crucial

According to diplomatic sources, both the US and England have put their full support behind this document.

As you can see, President Papadopoulos was correct when he hinted that the British Government was seeking to upgrade the breakaway statelet with Foreign Minister Straw's visit to the North. That is why the government was adamant about a neutral venue for the meeting.

New Proposal

It has now been confirmed by several Turkish News Agencies that a “new” proposal on Cyprus will be announced by Ankara tomorrow. The authors of this proposal would have us believe that it is purely coincidental that this plan is being announced on the very same day Foreign Minister Jack Straw arrives in the region. This proposal is not new ... Turkey, for quite some time now has made it clear that the opening of Turkish ports to Cypriot vessels will only occur if direct trade is rewarded to the breakaway statelet. Be weary of press reports tomorrow that praise this “new” proposal. Cypriot officials who will speak with Foreign Minister Straw should make it clear that any new proposal will not be linked to Turkey's obligation in implementing the customs union protocol with Cyprus.

Ankara's Policy Change

The Turkish daily Hurriyet is announcing a major policy change on Cyprus from Ankara “...Ankara has presented a proposal to Kofi Annan of the United Nations, which states that Greek Cypriot ships will be for the first time in 31 years allowed to enter Turkish ports.” The daily goes on to say that the proposal contains “reciprocal concessions” but did not specify exactly what this meant. The Turkish public will be informed of this new proposal on Tuesday. Britain’s Foreign Secretary Jack Straw will be visiting Cyprus on Tuesday where he will meet with Mr. Talat. The Foreign Minister is also expected to visit Turkey where talks will be dominated by the Cypriot issue. It certainly is becoming clear what all these meetings are about ... it is for Britain to support and promote direct trade with the Northern breakaway statelet. In return, Cypriot ships would be allowed to enter Turkish ports. If this indeed is accurate, it would solidify the division of the island. Please view my post below titled “Guarantees” to read what Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey Abdullatif Sener said about the opening of Turkish ports to Cypriot ships.