The US has expressed its full support to the new process of direct talks beginning Wednesday.
US State Department Spokesman Sean McCormack said “we fully support this new effort to reach an agreement. We ourselves are taking a look at whether or not it`s appropriate to have a special envoy to this -- to this effort. But the basic work and if -- the basic work is going to be done by, and if we are going to reach an agreement, it is going to be -- that hard work is going to be done by the two sides. So we fully support this meeting as well as the resumption of this effort”. Invited to comment a statement by Turkish President Abdullah Gul that ``the solution must be found on a new partnership established by the two equal political communities and founder countries``, McCormack said “we are always supportive of a bi-zonal, bi-communal effort that -- agreement that is arrived at by both the parties.” “We`re not going to try to dictate the specific conditions. Those are for the parties to work out. However, the international community is ready to support this effort, to nurture this effort, and when -- if required, to try to make proposals. We are, ourselves, not in that position right now. But make no mistake about it, the international community supports this effort,” he added. On behalf of the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs Mark Toner said “we welcome the start of negotiations for the reunification of Cyprus. We congratulate the two leaders on this encouraging decision.” He stressed that the United States strongly supports the goal of the negotiations, a comprehensive settlement that reunifies Cyprus into a bi-zonal, bicommunal federation, as envisioned by the leaders in their statements of March 21st, May 23rd and July 1st and we look forward to rapid progress in the negotiations over the next months, resulting in an early agreement that will last to reunify Cyprus.
CYPRUS MAIL
Heroin flooding in through north
Police are fighting desperately to stop the flow of heroin from the north with two checkpoint arrests in less than 24 hours. Four Greek Cypriot men were yesterday remanded in custody for eight days after being arrested at checkpoints in Nicosia in possession of heroin, police said. Drug Squad Deputy Commander Avraam Charalambous yesterday told the Cyprus Mail that “the occupied areas are the main source of heroin-this is a fact. All three checkpoints in Nicosia are under surveillance after information in the last few days about large quantites of drugs being moved... In the last four months we have had five different cases of large quantites of heroin smuggled from the north. A total of ten people have been arrested and the cases are awaiting court judgment... We are making a huge effort to control the checkpoints and the Green Line but because the Green Line runs 180km it is physically impossible to conduct thorough checks,” Charalambous said.
CYPRUS MAIL
Russia laughs off suggestions that it could recognise north
The Russian Embassy yesterday sought to play down fears that the crisis in the Caucasus would lead to recognition of the regime in the north... Russian Ambassador to Ankara, Vladimir Ivanovsky was recently quoted in a Turkish newspaper suggesting that Russia could trade recognition of the TRNC for Turkey`s recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia... Russian Embassy spokesman Vladimir Maystrenko yesterday expressed regret that some had taken the ambassador`s comments, deemed to be a joke, out of context and presented them as a serious piece of news. The spokesman was adamant that Russia did not change its positions from one day to the next and continued to stand by UN resolutions 541 and 550 on Cyprus.
AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE
Cyprus rivals in new peace pushRival Cypriot leaders were to meet on Wednesday to set the stage for intensive negotiations in a new UN-backed push to reunify the Mediterranean island after three decades of failed diplomacy… Wednesday`s meeting starting at 10 am (0700 GMT) is expected to deal with procedural matters and substantive negotiations are to begin on September 11. The buildup to the talks has been clouded by the refusal of Turkish Cypriot authorities to allow Greek Cypriot pilgrims to travel via Limnitis in the remote northwest of the island to attend a church service… But on a positive note, hundreds of Turkish- and Greek-Cypriot peace activists rallied on Monday night outside the Ledra Palace Hotel in the capital`s buffer zone chanting for a reunified Cyprus. Talat, meanwhile, has raised the possibility of a settlement by the end of 2008. "It depends on the Greek-Cypriot side, if they have the will I am sure we can find a solution by the end of the year," he said in a television interview… Optimists are pinning their hopes on the personal chemistry and shared left-wing politics of the two leaders.
FINANCIAL TIMES
New push for unity in Cyprus
The Greek and Turkish Cypriot presidents will start talks today on reunifying Cyprus as a loose federal state with a small central administration to handle international relations. Three decades of attempting to reunify the island have failed. But Alexander Downer, the former Australian foreign minister who is the United Nations` special adviser to the talks, said he arrived in Cyprus "with a degree of optimism because I know the leadership is committed to a successful negotiation. But I have no illusions on how difficult this is." Both sides accept the notion of a bi-zonal federation, but details of governance have to be worked out. Mehmet Ali Talat, the Turkish Cypriot leader, says a framework deal could be reached by the end of this year. But Demetris Christofias, the Greek Cypriot president, who faces a challenge from hardline nationalists opposed to a settlement, wants to avoid setting deadlines for agreement...
REUTERS
Cyprus launches last-ditch reunification talks
Rival leaders of divided Cyprus launch last-ditch reunification talks on Wednesday to end a decades-old conflict threatening Turkey`s EU membership hopes. Greek Cypriot Demetris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot Mehmet Ali Talat meet in no-man`s-land dividing their capital Nicosia at 3 a.m. EDT, in what diplomats and analysts say is the best chance of a breakthrough after years of failed mediation. "Excellent rapport exists at all levels," George Iacovou, chief aide to Christofias, told Reuters. "Now it is a question of negotiating in good faith and moving forward." "This is a historic day, a beautiful day," said Ozdil Nami, chief aide to Talat. "Both leaders will be sending a message of hope to their people...to the world, that they are willing to negotiate." The two moderate leaders will meet in the presence of former Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, appointed U.N. special envoy for Cyprus in July, at a compound which was once the island`s main commercial airport. When talks start in earnest next week, they will move to a renovated complex of low-lying buildings once used as arrival and departure terminals. In a testament to past violence, the bullet-riddled shell of an old jet sits on a runway overgrown with weeds. Divided since a Turkish invasion in 1974 triggered by a brief Greek-inspired coup, the two sides have agreed to reunite as a bizonal bicommunal federation -- but not on how. A key dispute is the unrecognized status of breakaway northern Cyprus, and how to reintegrate it into the fold of a federation. Peace talks in 2003 and 2004 failed when Greek Cypriots rejected the U.N. blueprint accepted by Turkish Cypriots. There has been a shift in sentiment since then. The passage of time is making a settlement more complex, while the partitioned status of Cyprus is a headache for the European Union. "Its widely believed that if these two moderates can`t solve it, nobody can," said Hubert Faustmann, a Cyprus-based analyst.
2 September 2008
CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY
Advisors meet for dinner ahead of direct talks on Cyprus
Just hours before Christofias and Talat begin direct negotiations to reunite Cyprus, their advisors met on Tuesday evening over dinner, in the presence of the UN Secretary General`s Special Adviser on Cyprus Alexander Downer. In New York, Marie Okabe, Deputy Spokeswoman of the UN Secretary General, asked if there was anything on the direct talks on Cyprus, said ``the Secretary General has warmly welcomed the launch of the talks and that is all we have for now.`` Speaking before the dinner, Iacovou said ``everything is ready for tomorrow`s launch of the direct talks`` and expressed the view that Wednesday`s meeting would be short, since no negotiations will take place. Asked what would be discussed during the dinner, Iacovou said ``we will have dinner, exchange some views on tomorrow`s procedure,`` adding that the details have already been agreed on. To a question if the leaders of the two communities would be entering issues of substance on Wednesday, Iacovou said the meeting would be the official launch of the talks and that negotiations would begin during their next meeting on September 11. He furthermore said that Wednesday`s meeting would be short and that the agenda has already been agreed on. Downer said he believed everything was ready for Wednesday`s meeting and noted that ``we are looking forward to it very much.`` Referring to the dinner, he said ``we are just going to have a general discussion,`` adding that he has not been in Cyprus for a few weeks. ``During August I have been back in Australia, and I am looking forward to sitting down and having a nice dinner and a bit of a chat. We are very much all of us looking forward to tomorrow,`` he said. To a question about the procedure of the direct negotiations, Downer said ``you will see how it all works when the time comes, it will be pretty straightforward.`` Ozdil Nami said he believed Wednesday ``will be an historic day.`` ``We hope it is going to be a good beginning,`` he said and expressed hope that ``it is the beginning for the end of the Cyprus issue.`` Nami said ``we are looking forward to it, we have worked hard to reach that day so we will make it a good one, I hope.`` Asked if they would be discussing the issue of Limnitis at the dinner, Nami said ``we are here to have a pleasant dinner and of course from now on everything will be discussed, all issues will be discussed, there will be no stone unturned.`` ``This is a new process and we are here to help each other, so it is within that positive spirit that we are beginning this new round of negotiations,`` he added. He noted that ``all the details have been discussed`` and that the dinner ``is just a social get-together.``
CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY
House President cautious ahead of peace talks
(Greek Cypriot) House President Marios Garoyian has given a cautious welcome to tomorrow`s commencement of UN-led talks for a political settlement. ``We would very much like to have welcome, with hope and expectations, tomorrow`s launch of the direct negotiations,`` Garoyian said in a statement, adding that ``unfortunately the current stance of the Turkish side does not allow us to be particularly optimistic.`` He said that ``we proceed to the negotiations because we want a just, viable and functional solution, a genuine bizonal bicommunal federation”, a long-standing goal of the Greek Cypriot community, he added. Expressing full support to Christofias at this “crucial battle he is called to fight”, as he noted, the House President added: “The Greek Cypriot side has been called to direct negotiations and we will go to the negotiating table with a cool head, prudence, responsibility and consistency to the principles for a Cyprus settlement.`` ``If the Turkish side and mainly Turkey proves that it has the will for a just and functional solution, then we can look at the future with optimism,`` he pointed out. Concluding, Garoyian said that ``if there is a real chance for a solution this should not go to waste,`` adding however that ``we would be making a major historic and political error if we were to accept the theory of the last opportunity,`` for a political settlement in Cyprus.
COMMENTARY
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
Georgia Looms Over Cyprus Talks
“Thirty-four years after the Turkish military first occupied northern Cyprus, leaders from the two sides of the island will meet for a fresh round of talks aimed at reunification. The talks that begin Wednesday are expected to go on for months, and success is far from assured. But that they are taking place at all offers an important lesson for two other separatist territories that recently welcomed a neighboring military -- South Ossetia and Abkhazia in Georgia -- analysts say. The lesson: Even with recognition, military protection and passports from the dominant local power, life in a republic that is recognized by nobody else isn`t so sweet. Turkey has given northern Cyprus hefty financial aid, but decades of economic and social isolation have worn down the Turkish Cypriots. They have lagged behind while their Greek Cypriot counterparts bounded ahead into the prosperity of the European Union... To be sure, there are important differences between Georgia`s separatist territories and northern Cyprus. For one thing, no water separates Abkhazia and South Ossetia from Russia, making them potentially easier to integrate. Cyprus enjoys the pull of EU membership, something Georgia aspires to but is unlikely to achieve anytime soon. Just as important, Turkey never attempted to annex the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. That is in part because Turkey is a member of the same military alliance -- the North Atlantic Treaty Organization -- as Greece, and because Turkey itself wants to join the EU. Russia faces none of these constraints. Many analysts believe Moscow will, de jure or de facto, absorb South Ossetia and Abkhazia, despite denials that it has any such intention. Still, the parallel is hardly far-fetched. In a recent interview, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili said Russian leader Vladimir Putin "mentioned to me in November 2006 the possibility" of turning the separatist regions into northern Cyprus -- in other words, occupied territories. The Kremlin hasn`t acknowledged that claim, but Russian analysts frequently draw the link. Last week, the Turkish Cypriot government spokesman said Russia`s recognition of the two territories had rewritten the rules of international diplomacy and was a "lesson" Greek Cypriots should take to heart. "There are striking similarities between what`s going on there and here," says Costas Constantinou at the International Peace Research Institute in Cyprus, noting in particular the separation of the local populations along ethnic lines and unilateral recognition following massive military intervention...”
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