On the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus

CYPRUS MAIL

Can the parties bridge the gap?

Twenty four hours before the start of new Cyprus negotiations there appeared to be little sense of occasion yesterday, as Ankara took the opportunity to dig its heels in on the issue of Turkey`s guarantee. On the Greek Cypriot side, Iacovou made a bland statement during a road safety event at the UN about “cautious optimism.” “Time will tell” he said whether the Turkish Cypriot side would shop good will for progress. “Without the political will of the Turkish Cypriotsw and Turkey there can be no progress,” Iacovou said. While Talat was making statements in Brussels yesterday saying he believed it was possible “to succeed to really bridge the different views and solve the problems,”... Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan, in an interview with NTV, said the guarantee was necessary in the entire eastern Mediterranan region. “This is not an issue the two leaders can negotiate. It concerns the Republic of Turkey and it is within the will of the Turkish Republic. This issue is not part of the full-fledged negotiations currently in progress,” he said... UN Cheif of Mision Taye-Brooke Zerihoun speaking at the road safety event said “the road ahead will be pot-holed and sometimes perilous but it does not look blockedç” “Initiatives such as the one you have embarked upon demonstrate that the pursuit of the greater good of the people of Cyprus is key in overcoming past rancour and division, and in ushering in a new era of cooperation, prosperity and peace based on respect for diversity and shared principles.”... In London, Britain`s former Cyprus envoy Lord David Hannay said the Greek Cypriot side`s dependence on UN resolutions in seeking a solution were erroneous, given Turkey`s military strength. Asked during a lecture about UN resolutions on Cyprus that had not been implemented, Hannay said many of the documents were “dead texts.” He added he was against holding referendums on a Cyprus solution.

CNA

UNSG`s report comments on Cyprus

United Nations, Sep 11 (CNA) - The UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has noted, in his report to the General Assembly, the UN contribution to the latest attempt to find a negotiated settlement in Cyprus. In the chapter on peace and security of the report of the Secretary General on the Work of the Organisation, Ban writes: “In Cyprus, with renewed impetus and political will on the part of the Cypriots and their leaders, the United Nations assisted in the launch and facilitation of a preparatory process intended to lead to full-fledged negotiations.”

BLOOMBERG

Greek, Turkish Cyprus Leaders Meet on Power-Sharing, Governance

The leaders of the Greek and Turkish communities in Cyprus meet for a second time in just over a week today to discuss how to share power in a future united state... Their talks will focus on how the two communities could rule together, Alexander Downer, the UN Secretary-General`s Special Adviser for Cyprus, said when they last met on Sept... Both sides agree in principle a future state should be a ``bi-zonal federation.`` Today`s talks cover administrative issues as well as the composition of a Cabinet and veto rights for each side. ``Governance is an easy topic,`` said Hubert Faustmann, associate professor for international relations at the University of Nicosia. ``Basically, if they can`t agree on governance, there is no point in continuing since they have a lot more difficult issues to tackle, like property.``... `It`s the first meeting of substance,`` said Alexandros Lordos, political studies professor at the University of Nicosia. Governance issues won`t be the stumbling block, he said. ``The issue of property and of settlers will be hard ones, very hard.``... Property rights for Greeks in the north and Turks in the south as well as Turkey`s status as a ``guarantor power`` may also complicate the talks, analysts say...

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Turkish Cypriots: Security guarantees needed

Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat said Wednesday he accepts a reduction of Turkey`s military contingent but that his side will still need security guarantees from Ankara as part of a deal to unite the divided island. Talat said the troops could be pulled out to a level to be agreed in the talks with the Greek-Cypriot government in the south. However, in a stance likely to rankle the Greek side, Talat said the Turkish Cypriots wanted Turkey to continue to guarantee their protection. "Our position is to keep the guarantee and protection agreements applied," Talat said, apparently referring to a treaty between Britain, Greece and Turkey when Cyprus became independent from Britain in 1960... "It is very clear that Turkish troops, other than the agreed number, will be withdrawn from the island," Talat said at a think-tank conference in Brussels, Belgium. "It will drop down to an agreed number ... all this will be negotiated." He referred to agreements dating back to Cyprus` independence, which limited troop deployments to 950 from Turkey and 650 from Greece, although Turkish Cypriot officials later clarified that such a low number of Turkish troops was not currently on the table. Despite differences, Talat was optimistic that an agreement could be found by the end of this year, or at the latest by June, when elections are due to the European Parliament.... Talat said the EU would have to grant exceptions to its rules to take into account any agreement between the two Cypriots sides. The reunification talks are expected to aim at a state made up of two entities with wide autonomy. The Turkish side would like to have safeguards to prevent the more numerous Greek Cypriots flooding into the north of the island, despite European rules that allow EU citizens to settle anywhere within the 27-nation bloc. The Turkish Cypriot leader said the biggest stumbling block to a deal with the Greek Cypriots was the question of property rights for people displaced by the conflict in 1974.

Wednesday, September 10

EUOBSERVER

Turkish Cypriot leader optimistic about reunification

Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat on Wednesday (10 September) expressed optimism about the in-depth talks on the reunification of Cyprus formally due to start tomorrow, saying he hoped that a solution for the divided island can be found at the latest by June next year. "My vision was to finish the negotiations by the end of this year and I believe it is possible," Mr Talat said at a conference organised by the Brussels-based European Policy Centre think-tank. "All the elements of the Cyprus problem are known, so it is possible to solve [it]" by the end of 2008, or at the latest, "before the election of the European Parliament, meaning June 2009." "Hopefully, we will do it," he added.... In-depth UN-mediated negotiations on power-sharing are to start tomorrow, but although Mr Talat has on several occasions expressed hopes that a deal could be reached by the end of the year, his Greek Cypriot counterpart has refused to commit to a timeframe. Mr Talat said the EU could also contribute to these talks and play a role for their positive outcome, as "ending this problem would contribute to the very meaning of the EU and European integration." "We need technical assistance from the EU … to prepare a durable settlement within the European system," he underlined. "Of course we cannot ask for political assistance, since the EU does not have – as the United Nations – a huge accumulated knowledge regarding the Cyprus problem." "[Additionally], Greek Cypriots are members of the EU and Turkish Cypriots are out, so the EU cannot be impartial. This is a matter of fact. [But] we need technical assistance from the EU," Mr Talat said. Turkish Cypriots are also hoping the EU can "encourage Greek Cypriots towards a solution, because there are actually very few incentives for [them] to solve the problem." After they joined the EU, "they lost their incentives," unlike Turkish Cypriots, who need the solution "deadlily," the Turkish Cypriot leader pointed out.... From the Turkish Cypriot point of view, any kind of agreement – possibly setting out a substantially decentralised state – should reflect the fact that "Cyprus is the home of Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots" and highlight the "political equality" between them as a "crucial" point. It should also include safeguards that "neither side can claim jurisdiction over the other" and be put to separate but simultaneous referendums in the two parts of the island. For his part, Demetris Christofias, the Greek Cypriot leader, would prefer to have a more centralised federation, worried that substantial autonomy for the north could leave the door open to partition. But Mr Talat expressed confidence that through negotiations, they "will be able to succeed in really bridging the different views and solving the problems." He also appealed to his Greek Cypriot counterpart to be more moderate in his comments to the media, insisting that what is still a matter of negotiations should be discussed privately. "Exchange of views or negotiations through media is an impossible task … I know that leftists speak too much, so they may not be able to stop talking," he said jokingly referring to Mr Christofias – currently the only communist president of an EU member state. "But please, try. Don`t put your views through the media," he added.

UN NEWS CENTRE

Top UN envoy to Cyprus meets with Turkish officials

A top United Nations envoy is in Turkey today for talks with the country`s senior officials regarding the recently-launched UN-backed negotiations aimed at reunifying Cyprus. Alexander Downer, the Secretary-General`s Special Adviser on Cyprus, met with President Abdullah Gül, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Foreign Minister Ali Babacan and other Foreign Ministry officials. The envoy “appreciated the opportunity to hear the perspectives of the Turkish Government on the recent renewal of full-fledged negotiations between the Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot leadership and looks forward to continuing to engage in a dialogue on the matter,” UN spokesperson Michele Montas told reporters in New York. Mr. Downer arrived in Ankara after stopping in Athens to meet with Greek Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis and Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis.

CNA

`Cypriot FM`: no soundings about EU envoy on Cyprus

`Cypriot Minister of Foreign Affairs` Markos Kyprainou has dismissed press suggestions that there has been talk about a possible appointment of an EU envoy on Cyprus. Kyprianou was invited to comment on press reports that the Commission is considering the appointment of a special envoy on Cyprus and that the first candidates proposed were not entirely approved by all the parties concerned. ``No sounding has been made to the Foreign Ministry,`` he said, adding that ``I will discuss with (Commissioner for Enlargement Oli) Rehn whom I will meet next week whether there are such intentions on behalf of the EU.`` Replying to a question, Kyprianou said that Nicosia would not be bothered by such an appointment. ``We expect that the EU will support the process which has begun with experts. The Commission has the capacity and the willingness to provide such experts, when the time comes and if asked to do so,`` he added.