Cyprus-Forum.com

[joe]

From the Cyprus Weekly:

Talat calls off crucial meeting



Talat calls off crucial meeting
New blow for talks

EFFORTS TO get “technical” talks started on the basis of the July 8 agreement received a further setback yesterday when the Turkish Cypriot side called off a meeting between Tassos Tzionis and Rashit Pertev, the representatives of the two community leaders.
Mehmet Ali Talat said the Turkish Cypriot side needed time to “re-evaluate” the UN-brokered process, and hold consultations with Ankara.
He met Michael Moller, UNFICYP’s chief of mission, and explained to him the Turkish Cypriot side’s need to “evaluate the latest developments on the issue,” and for this reason the Tzionis-Pertev meeting had to be postponed.
Yesterday’s meeting was dubbed crucial, as it would determine whether there has been a breakthrough in the efforts to set up committees and working groups as envisaged in the July 8 Gambari agreement.
While the UN showed no cause for alarm, and pressed ahead with their effort to make progress, the US and Britain were also involved in backstage diplomatic moves.
Greek Cypriot political parties slammed the Turkish move as a clear sign they did not want a settlement. They said the Turks were clearly dragging their feet, trying to wreck the Gambari deal.
The Greek Cypriot politicians said the Turks aimed instead at “upgrading” their breakaway state, while hoping this helped Turkey’s EU accession talks.

Low-key

The government kept a low-key reaction, insisting there was no breakdown or deadlock.
“We want to hope this hurdle will be overcome and that very soon the process for the full implementation of the July 8 agreement will move ahead smoothly”, said Government Spokesman Christodoulos Pashiardis, who said the Greek Cypriot side did not wish to engage in any “blame game.”
.UN sources saw the postponement as a mere “hiccup” , one of the ups and downs in the prolonged search for a Cyprus settlement.
“We hope it will not be long before the two sides get together again,” the sources remarked.
Earlier in the week, President Papadopoulos indicated that progress had been achieved recently.
He spoke of “positive developments”, eight months after the deal was brokered during a visit to the island last year by then UN Under Secretary-General Ibrahim Gambari.
The Greek Cypriot side had made “compromise” proposals to overcome deadlocks.
Papadopoulos said problems had been successfully addresserd and a “common understanding” was reached, regarding the topics to be taken up by each working group and technical committee.

Understanding

He called on Talat to “immediately and jointly start implementing the July 8 agreement on the basis of the recommendations included in Mr Gambari’s letter, based on the common understanding which has already been achieved at the level of our two representatives”.
He said he would be ready to meet the Turkish Cypriot leader “a week after the first working groups and technical committees are set up and start their work, according to Mr Gambari’s recommendations”.
But Talat dismissed talk of any agreement and accused Papadopoulos of using unacceptable tactics.
He said Papadopoulos was trying to “hijack the July 8 process in order to scupper current EU attempts to implement the ‘direct trade’ regulation with the Turkish-held north .
He also pointed out that under the deal, nothing was agreed unless everything was agreed.
Talat in turn asked Papadopoulos to meet him immediately “so that he can explain to me what I am supposed to have agreed to”.
Greek Cypriot officials responded that there was no point in having such a meeting “just for the sake of making impressions”. The two leaders would meet in order to “evaluate” the work of the committees and give further directions”.
The aim of the proposed twin track talks is to tackle issues affecting the day-to-day life of the people and at the same political matters, so as to prepare the ground for substantive negotiations for a Cyprus settlement.