Cyprus-Forum.com

[zan]

Greek Cyprus watches Kosovo’s move
By Quentin Peel
Published: February 6 2008 03:25 | Last updated: February 6 2008 03:25
Now the Serbian presidential election is over, the unilateral independence of Kosovo is likely to be declared within a matter of weeks. It may be a tiny, remote, poor and mountainous land, but the consequences of the move will spread far beyond its Balkan borders.

Although the great majority of Serbs remain strenuously opposed, Kosovo’s independence will swiftly be recognised by the US, followed by leading members of the European Union, including the UK, France and Germany. It will be a de facto recognition, not a de jure one. Russia is blocking any United Nations resolution, both out of loyalty to Serbia and from a more fundamental objection to the principle of self-determination.



Several EU member states also remain deeply hesitant, fearful of the precedent set by allowing an ethnic minority to declare independence without winning agreement from the country it is leaving. Spain is one such, fearing the encouragement it will give to Basque secessionists. Slovakia is another, Romania the third. They will delay any recognition as long as possible.

Of all the EU members, however, the most hostile is the republic of Cyprus. Speaking in Helsinki last week, Erato Markoulli, the Greek Cypriot foreign minister, said her country “cannot and will not recognise a unilateral declaration of independence. This is an issue of principle, of respect for international law, but also an issue of concern that it will create a precedent in international relations.”

Ms Markoulli denied the stance had anything to do with northern Cyprus, the Turkish-ruled part of the island whose independence has been recognised only by Turkey. Yet that is clearly the most threatening precedent. If Kosovo wins recognition from the US and UK, how long will they refuse to do the same for the self-styled Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus?

Many EU members now regret allowing Cyprus to join without resolving its internal division. The Greek Cypriots rejected Kofi Annan’s UN plan for unification, after the Turkish Cypriots had voted heavily in favour in 2004. Ever since, Cyprus has used its membership to delay or disrupt every attempt at opening links to the northern enclave.

Yet, in a curious way, the Kosovo move could be just the shock needed to get the two sides back together. It will come at much the same time as a critical presidential election in Cyprus – the two rounds are on February 17 and 21 – that is seen as a potential watershed for UN negotiations to be launched, or for the divided island to be partitioned for good.

Tassos Papadopoulos, the incumbent president, who led the campaign against the Annan plan, could be defeated in a run-off against his principal challenger, Demetris Christofias, leader of Akel, the Communist party. Mr Christofias also voted No to the Annan plan, but he is committed to seeking a new deal. So is Yiannakis Cassoulides, the conservative former foreign minister, who is running third. The race is too close to call.

The northern Cypriots are holding their breath. “2008 may be the last opportunity for an international settlement,” says Turgay Avci, foreign minister of the Turkish Cypriot administration. “For so many months we have been told to wait for the elections, because the leadership may change. I don’t think it will make a big difference. What we expect is that whoever wins the election will come to the table for a comprehensive solution.”

Among Greek Cypriots, however, Mr Papadopoulos is seen as the person least likely to make any move. He has the support of nationalists and the Greek Orthodox church in Cyprus, but his truculent negotiating style in the EU has worried those Cypriots who wish to be accepted as “full Europeans”.

“People are worried that no good initiatives have come from Tassos,” says one Greek Cypriot academic. “He is always blocking and blustering. It does not give them any pleasure to be seen as always the awkward customers.”

That does not give Mr Avci much reassurance. “We are isolated,” he says. “We have no free trade. There are no direct flights. There are no cultural or educational openings in the EU. As long as they treat Greek Cyprus as the only power in Cyprus, there will be no solution.”

But at least he will be watching what happens to Kosovo “very quietly, and very closely”.

[zan]

How do you put a countdown clock on this forum

[shahmaran]

Excellent!

[paaul12]

At last!!!!!!

“People are worried that no good initiatives have come from Tassos,” says one Greek Cypriot academic. “He is always blocking and blustering. It does not give them any pleasure to be seen as always the awkward customers.”

But they are the "awkward customers"

[shahmaran]

Yeah maybe the EU will tell them to fuck off and come back when they really know how to make peace and about human rights, its easy boasting about it, lets see them do something!

[cymart]

What another boring and repetitious hash of the same old worn-out things he has said before!!His promised 'new proposals' which are supposed to help him gain votes on the 17th of February-and on the 24th if he gets that far-are just more of the same!'no timetables or strict deadlines,no mediation and a refusal to accept any of the aftermath of what happened in 1974!!'
In other words,another 30 years of endless, fruitless monologues which will lead nowhere based on legalistic clap-trap while him and his cronies,including the greedy developers here in Paphos and elsewhere continue to enjoy power and Cyprus is partitioned!
Michael Moller hit the nail on the head yesterday when he suggested that there is little more the U.N. can do for Cyprus unless both sides show they are prepared to start serious and urgent negotiations to find an overall solution and it is no good expecting anyone from outside to come up with a magic formula which will please everybody because there isn't one!
THIS APPLIES TO BOTH SIDES EQUALLY!!!The real question is whether they are prepared to make the compromises involved,otherwise the world might as well just give up and leave the Cypriots to their inevitable destiny of a 'velvet divorce' and partition which will be a tragedy.
To prevent this requires courage,vision and statesmanship and on this side we have only one or possibly two contenders for the top job who might pull-it off-our present leadership possesses none of those qualities!
So how about Mr Talat?Will Ankara allow him to put his best foot forward and find a compromise,hopefully with Mr C. or Mr Chr???

[Piratis]

Peace in Cyprus will come when foreigners piss off and allow Cypriots to rule their own island in a democratic way. As simple as that.

If the British (who wrote the above article) and the Turks think that we will just sign off some capitulation agreements to grand them even more rights on our island then they are mistaken.

If Turks and British want "compromise" then lets see how much of land from their own countries are willing to give to us. Lets see how compromising they are with the sovereignty of their own lands.

[zan]

Kosovo expects quick recognition from 100 countries

Hashim Thaci, left, gestures during the closing rally of the Democratic Party of Kosovo in northern Kosovo town of Podujevo. Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaci said on Friday about 100 countries were ready to recognise the province’s independence from Serbia, which political sources say could be declared on Feb 17.


“We have confirmation by around 100 countries that they are ready to recognize Kosovo’s independence immediately after we declare it. We will have a powerful and massive recognition,” Thaci told a news conference. He was speaking after a regular weekly meeting with Joachim Ruecker, head of the Kosovo mission of the United Nations which has administered the territory since NATO expelled Serbian forces in 1999.
Thaci did not name any countries or specify when he plans to declare independence -- which has been a closely guarded secret. The prime minister, a former guerrilla commander in the 1998-99 insurgency which triggered Western intervention with the stated aim of halting Serbian ethnic cleansing, has made clear the timing will be carefully coordinated with Western powers. Latest reports in Kosovo media say parliament will meet on the weekend of Feb 16-17 with the announcement on the Sunday, which coincides with what political sources tell Reuters.

The United States and most of the 27-member European Union back self-determination for Kosovo and its 90-percent ethnic Albanian majority. But Russia, allied with Serbia against Kosovo’s secession, has blocked an independence resolution in the UN Security Council. In Belgrade, Serbia’s Minister for Kosovo Slobodan Samardzic said Serbia is getting more and more relevant information that Thaci will illegally declare unilateral independence on Sunday, Feb. 17.

Samardzic’s statement was made after talks with EU representative Stefan Lehne, an envoy of foreign affairs chief Javier Solana, who was in Belgrade to discuss a political crisis over Serb nationalist demands to reject any deal with the EU.

The European Union, which plans to take over supervision of Kosovo from the United Nations, is due to hold a meeting of foreign ministers on Feb 18 and is expected to formally authorize the despatch of a police and judicial mission. Peter Feith, a veteran Dutch diplomat, is due to become the International Civilian Representative and special EU representative, with a mandate until the end of February, 2009.

French army general Yves de Kermabon has been tipped to head the police contingent, and British diplomat David Slynn, as Feith’s deputy, would run the mission’s least welcome outpost, in the Serb-dominated Mitrovica region of north Kosovo. Preparations for the EULEX mission by a team led by British diplomat Roy Reeve have been under way for some time in Kosovo’s capital, Pristina. It will assume its supervisory role at the end of a 120-day transition from UN administration. “There is no legal basis for the EU mission,” Serbia’s President Boris Tadic said this week. “Such a mission can only be approved by the United Nations Security Council.”

[Eric dayi]

tick-tock-tick-tock

[Get Real!]

tick-tock-tick-tock

What exactly is the countdown for?

Is your wife in labour or something?