Cyprus-Forum.com

[Kikapu]

‘You cannot survive and prosper as a divided city’

By Stefanos Evripidou

TOWN PLANNERS must take the division of the island into account if they want to ensure Nicosia’s survival in a European, globalised context, warned two planning experts from Northern Ireland yesterday.

The two academics from Queen’s University, Belfast, spoke at a seminar titled, ‘Contested Cities- International Comparisons’ hosted by the Reconstruction and Resettlement Council (RRC) in Nicosia.

Professor Frank Gaffikin highlighted that regeneration of the city and reconciliation had to go hand in hand, one could not survive without the other.

“You cannot survive and prosper as a divided city, For example, Belfast has been heavily subsidised by Westminster and the rest of Europe for years. Now, it needs to find its niche. It can’t do it divided, living off handouts,” he said.

An important factor in regenerating a contested area is to take the conflict into account when planning for the city.

“You can’t just airbrush division out of planning. You need to acknowledge these issues. There are no simple answers. Some prefer the ‘burnt earth’ strategy. They would rather continue the division and see the city run to the ground than give up their flags and ideology,” he added.

Professor Malachy McEldowney explained that the spatial development strategy for Northern Ireland took into account all of its surrounding areas, including the Republic of Ireland.

“You can best understand how Nicosia works if you understand the whole spatial set- up of the island,” said McEldowney.

He gave as an example the co-ordinated strategies to link Belfast and Dublin through a motorway system where motorists are unable to tell whether they are driving in Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland.

“A good European city has got to be pluralist. We are moving away from old-fashioned physical planning to spatial planning. It’s got to be balanced, strategic, sustainable, comprehensive, integrative, visionary, action-oriented and participatory,” said McEldowney.

Gaffikin added that the new European context has influenced the way we look at planning in divided cities. The planning expert highlighted that all cities were contested one way or another. Given the finite space and resources, competition between various groups existed in every city. For example, Chicago is divided and developed along race fault lines

“Race shapes development of the city. There are debates around issues of status, power, identity and pluralism. In other cities, like Jerusalem, Belfast, Nicosia, the debate is around sovereignty. Who owns the city? This makes these cities even more contested,” said Gaffikin.

Belfast is a city of two dreams, he noted, one of nostalgia (before the Troubles), and one of utopia (without the British).

“The two live in parallel universes, and trying to find a language between them is very difficult,” he noted.

Divided cities where sovereignty is contested usually involve “intimate enemies”. “This makes enmity very visceral, ancestral. Combatants don’t necessary live in a rational universe,” said Gaffikin.

“There is also the feature of mutual victimhood, where each side believes the other side needs to change more than they do,” he added.

Gaffikin argued against segregation of a city. “Segregation is a zero-sum game. We need to recognise that the city as a whole needs to operate together, so we can try to amplify the shared and cosmopolitan spaces and have less ethnic spaces,” he said.

Glafcos Constantinides, who worked as a national consultant on the New Vision for the Core of Nicosia Project, noted that Nicosia was suffering from suburbanisation.

“The main problem for old Nicosia is demand deficiency. We see an enormous sprawl away from the walled city. People and commercial activity are moving to the suburbs. Cypriots don’t necessarily value the old city,” he said.

According to a 2006 study, old Nicosia has around 2,000 buildings in very poor structural condition, needing around £160m (€274m) to fix. There is also 100,000sqm of empty shopping and office floor space in the walled city.

The study revealed that Cypriots are minorities in both parts of old Nicosia.

In south Nicosia, 45 per cent of residents are Cypriot and 55 per cent ‘other’. In the northern part of the old city, 33 per cent are Cypriot and 67 per cent other.

Constantinides noted that the most sensitive issue in the Nicosia Project was the ‘others’ living in the town.

“What will happen to them?” he asked. The planning consultant acknowledged that none of the studies on Nicosia took account of the real diversity in the city. “You have to account for these people and this is lacking,” he said.

Constantinides highlighted that the best way forward for Nicosia was to use cultural heritage as a strategic vehicle, creating a market for restoration through tourism and education.

“The idea is to bring new consumer power into the area,” he said. “To do that, we need basic fundamental changes in the relationship between the public and private sector, between development, mobility and movement, and between history and market economics. If nothing is done, outward migration from the centre will continue,” he added.

Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2008

[repulsewarrior]

...interesting that in the old city, the majority of people 'resident' are identified as other.

[Kikapu]

The Associated PressPublished: May 21, 2008

EU: two new negotiations on Turkish membership possible in June


STRASBOURG, France: The European Union said Wednesday it may soon open negotiations with Turkey on company law and intellectual property rights as part of the country's membership talks.

Slovenian State Secretary for European Affairs Janez Lenarcic told the European Parliament that the talks could begin during Slovenia's EU presidency, which runs until the end of June.

In all, there are 35 negotiating "chapters" — areas in which Turkey must enact EU rules and legislation if it is to join the bloc. Six chapters have already been opened while eight have been frozen because of Ankara's refusal to trade with EU member Cyprus.

Negotiations on those eight points will not open until Turkey allows Greek Cypriot planes and vessels to use Turkish ports and airports. Lenarcic told the European Parliament there has been no progress regarding Turkey's commitment to extend its existing customs arrangements with the EU to Cyprus.

Turkey's EU membership talks began in 2005, but human rights, a dispute over divided Cyprus and other issues have slowed the bid.

In a report on Turkey's progress toward membership, the EU assembly called for a faster pace of reforms in Turkey and reiterated EU concerns over the legal maneuvering to ban the country's ruling Islamic-rooted party.

It also said that a long-awaited amendment to Article 301 of the Turkish penal code is merely a first step toward a more fundamental reform ensuring the freedom of speech.

The law, which punished insults to "Turkishness" and restricted free speech, had been used to prosecute many intellectuals, including Orhan Pamuk, Nobel Prize winner for literature.

"Further reforms are required. We have a mixed picture from Turkey. Much more needs to be done," said Dutch lawmaker Ria Oomen-Ruijten, who drafted the parliamentary report, adopted Wednesday.

EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn called on Turkey to help "break the deadlock" in Cyprus and move toward reunification of the island. The Mediterranean island has been split along ethnic lines since 1974, when Turkey invaded in response to an abortive coup by supporters of union with Greece.

"The European Commission will fully support both communities on the island," he said.

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/05/ ... Turkey.php

"EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn called on Turkey to help "break the deadlock" in Cyprus and move toward reunification of the island."

[boomerang]

Code: Select all

[b][size=18]Australia's Downer mulling Cyprus peacemaking role[/size][/b]
Posted May 22nd, 2008 by Sahil Nagpal

Australia Cyprus United Nations Sydney  - Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd on Thursday confirmed that the United Nations had approached former foreign minister Alexander Downer to act as its interlocutor in reviving the peace process between the Greeks and Turks on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus.

"What the government has said quite clearly is that, should they extend that invitation to Mr Downer, we would support it," Rudd said. "We would support it on a bipartisan basis because it would be an important appointment for Australia as a special envoy."

Rudd said he didn't know whether Downer, who served as Australia's top diplomat in the previous administration of prime minister John Howard, was one of a number of candidates of the preferred choice.

Brendan Nelson, who took over the Liberal Party leadership after Howard lost power in the November general election, endorsed Downer as a good candidate but did not welcome a job that would entail Downer leaving Parliament and probably forcing a by-election.

"Alexander Downer has enormous ability," Nelson told reporters. "He's Australia's longest-serving foreign minister, and I'm not surprised that anybody would want to engage his considerable experience and skills, but he continues to be the hard-working member for Mayo."

Cyprus is a European Union member but remains a divided country despite decades of diplomacy to try to resolve its political divide. (dpa)

[url]http://www.topnews.in/australias-downer-mulling-cyprus-peacemaking-role-243269[/url]



God help us all, this tosser hasn't got a clue if his ass is on fire, not alone help on the Cyprus problem...

[Big Al]

Code: Select all

[b][size=18]Australia's Downer mulling Cyprus peacemaking role[/size][/b]
Posted May 22nd, 2008 by Sahil Nagpal

Australia Cyprus United Nations Sydney  - Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd on Thursday confirmed that the United Nations had approached former foreign minister Alexander Downer to act as its interlocutor in reviving the peace process between the Greeks and Turks on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus.

"What the government has said quite clearly is that, should they extend that invitation to Mr Downer, we would support it," Rudd said. "We would support it on a bipartisan basis because it would be an important appointment for Australia as a special envoy."

Rudd said he didn't know whether Downer, who served as Australia's top diplomat in the previous administration of prime minister John Howard, was one of a number of candidates of the preferred choice.

Brendan Nelson, who took over the Liberal Party leadership after Howard lost power in the November general election, endorsed Downer as a good candidate but did not welcome a job that would entail Downer leaving Parliament and probably forcing a by-election.

"Alexander Downer has enormous ability," Nelson told reporters. "He's Australia's longest-serving foreign minister, and I'm not surprised that anybody would want to engage his considerable experience and skills, but he continues to be the hard-working member for Mayo."

Cyprus is a European Union member but remains a divided country despite decades of diplomacy to try to resolve its political divide. (dpa)

[url]http://www.topnews.in/australias-downer-mulling-cyprus-peacemaking-role-243269[/url]



God help us all, this tosser hasn't got a clue if his ass is on fire, not alone help on the Cyprus problem...

Not a liberal boomers??? just kidding i agree, Rudd would be much better but he is too busy fixing Howards fuck ups!!

[Kikapu]

The Associated PressPublished: May 22, 2008


Rival Cypriot leaders to meet in bid to overcome differences ahead of peace drive

NICOSIA, Cyprus: The leaders of Cyprus' rival Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities meet on Friday to try to clear up disagreements that have strained attempts to reunify the ethnically divided island.

Cyprus President Dimitris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat agreed in March to restart long-stalled reunification talks. Christofias' election in February, replacing a hardliner, rekindled hopes that the decades-old division of Cyprus could finally be resolved.

But the initial optimism has been replaced by concern, with Greek Cypriots worried about the lack of progress ahead of the scheduled start of direct negotiations between Talat and Christofias in late June.

In his meeting with Talat on Friday, Christofias will seek reasurance that the Turkish Cypriots and Turkey are not aiming for a two-state settlement that would formally split the island instead of the long-standing agreement for a loose bi-zonal, bi-communal federation.

Such fears among Greek Cypriots stem from an April 24 statement by Turkey's National Security Council referring to a solution "based on the realities on the island and on the existence of two separate peoples and two democracies."

Cyprus has been split along ethnic lines since 1974, when Turkey invaded in response to an abortive coup by supporters of union with Greece. More than three decades of negotiations have failed to produce a lasting result.

In a bid to ensure these negotiations are successful, working groups from the two sides have been trying to narrow differences before the June talks. In their meeting on Friday, Christofias and Talat are to review what progress they have made.

The Cyprus government has complained of a lack of progress, especially on the more contentious issues such as security, and has said direct negotiations between the two leaders cannot start without some positive movement.

But Talat has said that direct talks will begin in June regardless of whether the groups have made any headway, unless one side backs out.

On Thursday, Talat's spokesman Hasan Ercakica said "it would be wrong" to claim that no progress has been made. He dismissed a two-state solution and reiterated Turkish Cypriot support for a federated Cyprus.

Another major sticking point so far has been whether any new peace deal would be modeled on a U.N. reunification plan that Turkish Cypriots accepted but Greek Cypriots rejected in 2004.

Political analyst Hubert Faustmann said the government interprets a perceived lack of progress as Turkish and Turkish Cypriot unwillingness to shift away from the U.N. blueprint.

Greek Cypriots saw the plan as compromising their security by granting Turkey intervention rights and a permanent military presence on the island.

"The question now is how willing are the Turkish Cypriots to move away from the (U.N.) plan ... Are they willing to renegotiate a deal?" said Faustmann, a political science professor at Nicosia University.

By the same token, Greek Cypriots should accept that the plan is not "a document that dropped out of the sky" and must demonstrate flexibility and a willingness to compromise, Faustmann said

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/05/ ... cation.php

[Kikapu]

Published: May 22, 2008


Island-style houses in a district of the Greek Cypriot part of Nicosia. (Yannis Kolesidis for The New York Times)

Nicosia: Edging closer in Cyprus's divided capital

By Joanna Kakissis

Like most of Nicosia, the Atolye Cadi Kazani café feels nostalgic. It is awash in jazzy piano music, the scent of cardamom-spiced coffee and an Ottoman ambience that reminds the owner, Nilgun Guney, of her grandmother's house.

"This is the magic zone," said Guney, a Turkish Cypriot painter who lives in northern Nicosia, the Turkish side of the city, Cyprus's capital. "Here we try to create something new from something old that is fading away."

You need a little magic to see Nicosia, the last divided capital in Europe, as one city. For decades, the Mediterranean island-nation of Cyprus has been cleaved between ethnic Greeks and Turks into the wealthy sovereign south and the poorer, Turkish-occupied north.

Nicosia, called Lefkosia in Greek and Lefkosa in Turkish, most visibly symbolizes this estrangement; to visit both sides, you must cross a checkpoint and change your money — euros on one side, Turkish liras on the other. Reunification talks have failed for decades, but in recent years Cypriots from both sides of the island have grown tired of the stalemate. The new president, Dimitris Christofias, won election in February partly by promising Greek Cypriots that he would restart reunification talks with Turkish Cypriots and their leader, Mehmet Ali Talat. Talks are scheduled next month.

It's much easier to travel between the two Nicosias since border restrictions were relaxed in 2003. And last month, a 230-foot-stretch of Ledra Street, part of a central shopping street that served as a barricade between north and south, was reopened after 44 years. The recent thaw has opened some lines of communication among the Cypriots; Guney and her Greek Cypriot friends, also artists, meet at her café every month to plan joint exhibitions.

Like many visitors to Cyprus, I began my exploration of Nicosia in the south. Home to around 270,000 people, this Nicosia is a moneyed urban center with boutiques, malls and sprawling suburbs of Mediterranean mansions. On Archbishop Makarios Avenue, named after the iconic former president and church leader, sushi restaurants are filled with Prada-clad diplomats and tanned 20-somethings. In the medieval walled city, locals hang out at the arty Oktana café or head for bouzouki-riffed Greek pop music and Mediterranean food at Domus, a bar and restaurant.

The walled city, which is also divided, was where I found Nicholas Panayi, a Greek Cypriot painter who later introduced me to Guney. Panayi, a Nicosia native, is based in the old city, where he has a gallery featuring his searching, tension-filled paintings and runs an art school with his Portuguese wife, Teresa.

"This used to be a place full of big homes with gardens, but unfortunately all the typical architecture was left to rot," he said. "Yet this part of the city has an allure and warmth that feels very familiar."

The old quarter exudes a restless, worn beauty. Retirees ride bicycles along pedestrianized Ledra Street, passing fathers sharing ice cream with their toddlers. Tourists feast on grilled halloumi cheese and spicy sheftalia (sausages) at the traditional taverns of the Laiki Geitonia ("folk neighborhood"). On Eleftherias Square, the area's anchor, chic young couples mingle with Black Sea immigrants. Nicosia is planning a modern redesign of the square by Zaha Hadid, the Pritzker Prize-winnng architect.

In a tree-shaded, jasmine-scented corner of the old town, lawyers, musicians and teenagers hang out at Ta Kala Kathoumena (Out of the Blue), a low-key café run by Symis Shukuroglou, who offers political commentary as Panayi and I sip frappés.

"We're not the Israelis and Palestinians," he said. "We don't have to love the Turks, and they don't have to love us. We just have to tolerate each other."

Cyprus has been divided along ethnic lines since 1964, when fighting between the majority Greek Cypriots and minority Turkish Cypriots got bad enough for the United Nations to create a buffer zone. The dividing line was named the Green Line because a United Nations officer used a green pen to draw the border on a map. In 1974, Athens, then run by a military dictatorship, engineered a failed coup that was supposed to unite the island with Greece. Turkey reacted by invading the northern third, which it has occupied ever since.

With Panayi as my guide, I crossed the Ledra Palace checkpoint area, a stretch marked by the lonesome hulks of buildings and the once-luxurious Ledra Palace Hotel, now a barracks for United Nations troops. As we neared northern Nicosia, posters denouncing the invasion gave way to crimson signs declaring a "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus Forever." The signs refer to the breakaway state in the north, which is not recognized internationally.

Northern Nicosia, home to about 85,000 people, has an intimate charm. Anatolian folk music echoes from car stereos. Men hang out at hookah cafes as young mothers in head scarves trail children on bicycles.

Since the partial border opened in 2003, this side of Nicosia has enjoyed a surge in tourism. The Gothic and Ottoman architecture is stunning and well preserved; for instance, the restored Buyuk Han, an Anatolian inn built in 1572, is now a hub for art and photo galleries and cafes.

Though many Turkish Cypriots live in the suburbs, the old city remains a haven for artists. Osman Keten creates his mystic, earth-toned paintings in a sunlit gallery near the Cadi Kazani café, where he often joins Panayi and Guney to talk about art and their city. The artists have exhibited together often, most notably in the Open Studios exhibition, a visual arts festival held in the historic center of Nicosia.

ON a balmy evening, I headed to Cadi Kazani to meet Keten, Panayi and Guney, who were sharing dishes of tiramisù at a big table in the back. They spoke to each other in English, sometimes straining to find the right words, but their rapport was easy and relaxed.

When I asked them about their early memories of Nicosia, they turned somber. Panayi recalled the Turkish bombs falling on the capital. Keten remembered how Greek Cypriot radicals had set his family home on fire. And fighting also forced Guney's family to flee her grandmother's pretty Ottoman-style house. "I still remember the dolls I left behind," she said.

"That's what you see in our city," she added, "lost childhoods, old lives, links that you don't want to cut. It's what keeps us together and what keeps us apart."

IF YOU GO

The Centrum Hotel (15 Pasikratous Street; 357-2-245-6444; www.centrumhotel.net) on Eleftherias Square is not high-lux, but it has a convenient location, excellent service and well-kept rooms. Double rooms cost about 92 euros a night, or about $145 at $1.58 to the euro.

Stop for a frothy frappé and some political commentary at Ta Kala Kathoumena (Nikokleous 21; 357-2-266-4654).

In north Nicosia, check out Bay Kahkaha, where the chef Erdogan Sayer specializes in Turkish and international chicken dishes. (Memduh Asaf 9a; 90-392-228-4169). Atolye Cadi Kazani café (Tanzimat 77; 90-392-227-3256) is a good spot for a Turkish coffee.

http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/05/22/ ... urneys.php

[Kikapu]

The Associated PressPublished: May 23, 2008

Rival Cypriot leaders differ on when to start face-to-face reunification talks


NICOSIA, Cyprus: Rival Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders still differ on when they should begin face-to-face negotiations on reunifying the divided island, the two said Friday.

President Dimitris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat met in the island's U.N.-controlled buffer zone to review preparations for starting direct talks on reunification. There had been hopes that talks could start by the end of June.

But after Friday's meeting, Talat said that "we have different views on this issue and we continue to have those views."

The two leaders issued a joint statement saying they will meet again in the second half of June to review further progress. Neither elaborated on what their differences on timing were.

Talat said recently that his side wanted face-to-face talks by the end of next month while the Greek Cypriot government said it wanted more preparations.

Greek Cypriot government spokesman Stefanos Stefanou said in Washington that negotiators had not made sufficient progress on some of the more sensitive issues.

"The progress has not been satisfactory. It has not been what we were hoping for to date, but the process is continuing," Stefanou said, but declined to give any details about the sticking points.

Past efforts to reach a solution have been stalled by disagreements over issues that include power-sharing arrangements, the return of property to Greek Cypriots, and the fate of settlers from the Turkish mainland in northern Cyprus.

Friday's meeting did, however, manage to allay some Greek Cypriot concerns.

The government had been worried that the Turkish Cypriots and Turkey could be aiming for a two-state settlement that would formally split the island instead of the long-standing agreement for a loose bi-zonal, bi-communal federation.

Such fears stem from an April 24 statement by Turkey's National Security Council referring to a solution "based on the realities on the island and on the existence of two separate peoples and two democracies."

But in their joint statement, read by U.N. special representative to Cyprus Taye-Brook Zerihoun, the two "reaffirmed their commitment to a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation with political equality."

Christofias said: "I think that we have a common position (that) it will be a united federal republic of Cyprus."

The two leaders said they would also push ahead with more civilian and military confidence- building measures such as opening a seventh crossing point across the buffer zone separating the two sides at Limnitis, in the remote northwest of the island.

Cyprus has been split along ethnic lines since 1974, when Turkey invaded in response to an abortive coup by supporters of union with Greece. More than three decades of negotiations have failed to produce a lasting result.

In March, Christofias and Talat agreed to restart long-stalled reunification talks. Christofias' election in February, replacing a hard-liner, rekindled hopes that the division of Cyprus could be resolved.

____

Associated Press writer Desmond Butler in Washington contributed to this report.

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/05/ ... cation.php

But in their joint statement, read by U.N. special representative to Cyprus Taye-Brook Zerihoun, the two "reaffirmed their commitment to a "bi-zonal, bi-communal federation with political equality."

Christofias said: "I think that we have a common position (that) it will be a
"united federal republic of Cyprus."

[Kikapu]

New Christofias-Talat meeting planned for June

By Elias Hazou
26 May 2008

PRESIDENT Demetris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat have agreed to meet again in June to assess whether the time is ripe for full-fledged reunification talks.

The decision came after a meeting last Friday at the old Nicosia airport under the auspices of the Secretary-General’s Special Representative in Cyprus Taye-Brook Zerihoun. It was the leaders’ second formal rendezvous after the 21 March accord, which established teams of experts and technocrats to troubleshoot all aspects of a reunited Cyprus.

“The Leaders today had genuine and fruitful discussions, and reviewed the results achieved pursuant to the 21 March agreement,” a joint statement said.

Christofias and Talat would come together again in the “second half of June” to make a new assessment, it added.

The vague language used - avoiding setting a fixed date for the next rendezvous - was testament to the difficulties facing a new peace drive.

Media reports said it took the two sides close to an hour to agree the final draft.

Friday’s meeting had been called by Christofias, out of concern that the working groups examining the tough issues were not making any progress.

Power-sharing, security and guarantees, territorial adjustments and property are understood to be the trickiest subjects.

Anxious

The Greek Cypriot side is anxious to make some headway, or “reach convergence” in official parlance, on these before direct talks can begin.

It is the government’s position that if a new peace drive is to have a reasonable chance of success, preparation for it must be exhaustive.

For the Turkish Cypriots, direct talks should not depend on the success (or lack thereof) of the preparatory stage now underway.

The government is also concerned over repeated statements from the north regarding the issue of Turkish settlers and the question of the “virgin birth,” i.e. that a reunified island would emerge from scratch and not be a continuation of the Republic established in 1960.

On Friday, the two leaders “reaffirmed their commitment to a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation with political equality, as defined by relevant Security Council resolutions,” the joint statement said.

“This partnership will have a Federal Government with a single international personality, as well as a Turkish Cypriot Constituent State and a Greek Cypriot Constituent State, which will be of equal status.”

Further, the representatives of the two leaders - George Iavocou and Ozdil Nami - would examine within 15 days the results of the technical committees.

Nami and Iacovou will also consider “civilian and military confidence-building measures” and “pursue the opening of the Limnitis/Yesilirmak and other crossing points.”

Such confidence-building measures are said to be joint firefighting operations and a island-wide ambulance service, cutting through the political red tape. Possibly also some military disengagement in the Nicosia area.

But the joint statement seemed to leave more loose ends than answer questions.

For one thing, it did not even clarify whether the leaders’ next meeting would decide the launch of direct negotiations or whether it would simply be just another get-together in a series.

When the March 21 accord was agreed, hopes had run high that talks could start within three months, i.e. in late June. That tentative date is now looking increasingly unlikely.

Though anxious not to overplay the problems, the two leaders on Friday conceded that the road ahead was tough.

Different

Asked by newsmen when negotiations might be expected, Talat said: “That is a difficult question actually. We are going to make an assessment in the second half of June when we come together. You know we have different views on this issue.”

For his part, Christofias said he and Talat deciced to “push the representatives of both communities in the working groups to work more intensively to overcome these problems.”

It is understood that from now on the working groups will convene three times a week instead of two.

The President was also asked whether the international personality of Cyprus would be the Republic or whether «virgin birth» would take place.

“It is our common position that it will be a united Federal Republic of Cyprus,” he said, in a reference harking to the state envisaged in the 2004 Annan Plan.

But in a comment that sounded out of sync with the day’s outcome, Christofias said he and Talat were “satisfied” with their meeting.

Moment of truth

Christofias, Talat meet at the old Nicosia airport



By Elias Hazou


President Demetris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat come together today in a bid to reboot a bug-riddled process which both sides say they want to lead to new reunification talks.

Presiding over the get-together at the old Nicosia airport will be the Secretary-General’s new Special Representative in Cyprus Taye-Brook Zerihoun.

The moment of truth arrives amid a good deal of jockeying by the two sides, after a dispute on the purpose of the preparatory talks.

Christofias came to power in February on a ticket to jumpstart Cyprus talks stalled for four years since the Annan Plan referenda.

The government, unhappy with the lack of progress on the crucial issues–security, property and territory–says there would be little point to moving on to direct negotiations because the vast differences between the two sides would merely be transferred to the next stage.

Pressure

Observers call this a tactical manoeuvre, designed to put pressure on the Turkish Cypriot side to soften its stance.

"We shall be making proposals to Mr. Talat so that we render the process more effective," Christofias said after attending the annual general meeting of the Employers and Industrialists Federation last night.

Christofias brushed off the notion that the preparatory talks might be scuttled, saying:

"That is not our goal. Our goal is to seek a solution as soon as possible. That is why I asked for this meeting with Mr Talat."

Turkish Cypriots, who had grudgingly agreed to the working groups and technical committees in the first place, separate the two stages and say face-to-face talks should start regardless what progress the experts make.


"The climate is still good...but there are difficulties in some of the working groups," Presidential Commissioner George Iacovou told newsmen yesterday.

"Yes, there has been some progress in some of the teams discussing minor issues. But issues such as security, property and territory have stalled."

Differences

For instance, the panel of Greek and Turkish Cypriot experts discussing the tricky topic of security and guarantees had convened only five times since the process was launched two months ago. And the team examining property issues had held just three sessions, said Iacovou.

Yet the differences, though vast, on these key areas were to be expected, he added.

Iacovou said today’s would not merely be a stock-taking meeting, as the leaders would also discuss confidence-building measures for the two communities, such as the opening of more crossing points.

The Limnitis checkpoint - on which the two sides have failed to make headway - would be on the agenda.

"Announcements should be expected on this," said Iacovou enigmatically.

The March 21 accord between Talat and Christofias stipulated that "...the leaders have also agreed to meet three months from now to review the work of the working groups and technical committees, and using their results, to start full-fledged negotiations under the auspices of the Secretary-General of the United Nations."

But this week Christofias stood accused of filibustering with regard to the working groups and technical committees charged with paving the way to full-fledged talks.

Gauntlet

Talat spokesman Hasan Ercakica yesterday threw down the gauntlet at Greek Cypriots. He said that if there were any problems holding back Christofias from coming to the negotiating table, the Turkish Cypriot side might assist him in solving those issues.

"The settlement that will be reached will not result in two separate states. A common state will be built which will have one international identity based on two constitutional constituent states. Such a settlement will be bicommunal and bizonal."

Ercakica said the reason the Turkish Cypriots did not make use of this expression so often was that the Greek Cypriot side is trying to drag the Turkish Cypriots to the 1977-1979 agreements in order to eliminate all the work produced after 1979.

The dispute has arisen from the differing interpretation of the word "results" in that joint statement.

Puzzled

Meanwhile, Iacovou’s counterpart Ozdil Nami, top aide to Talat, said in an interview earlier this week he was "puzzled" by Greek Cypriot noises about the process going nowhere.

And yesterday Turkish Cypriot ‘Foreign Minister’ Turgay Avci accused Greek Cypriots of delaying tactics.

Avci remarked that Christofias’ "obsession" against timetables reminded him of his predecessor Tassos Papadopoulos.

"If Mr Christofias truly desires a just and lasting peace on Cyprus, he should stop urging foreign powers to intervene to put pressure on Turkey," he said.

The remark alluded to reports this week that Christofias had tried to pull strings with foreign leaders, asking them to lean on Ankara to become more flexible.

On the sidelines of the recent EU-Latin America summit in Lima, Peru, Christofias had discussed developments on Cyprus with a number of European leaders, including the German Chancellor, the Austrian President and Finland’s Prime Minister.

Christofias is also said to be in frequent communication with EU President Jose Manuel Barroso.

According to reports, Christofias has also sounded out the five permanent members of the Security Council on a possible extension of the preparatory process. However, it appears the answer was no.

Dodged

Iacovou yesterday dodged a question as to whether the government would today ask for more times for the experts.

"No decision has been taken yet," he said.

But Hubert Faustmann, associate professor of International Relations at the University of Nicosia, told The Weekly the international community was keen to get on with business.

"Look, what they want is results. So I think the most Christofias can get is three, four, maybe five weeks’ extension.

"The goal is to get the two leaders talking before the summer break."

And neither side could afford the luxury of halting the process – or taking the blame for it.

Nevertheless, Faustmann was upbeat about the outcome of today’s meeting.

"For one thing, the Turkish Cypriots have given some encouraging signs that they might be willing to budge on the issue of the virgin birth.

"They’ll probably work out a face-saving formula that suits both, maybe a deal to extend the preparatory process by a few weeks, or an agreement to launch direct talks in parallel with the working groups and committees.

"There’s definitely a difference in how the two sides conceptualise the process," said Faustmann.

"The Greek Cypriots have sent in high-flyers, whereas it seems their Turkish Cypriot counterparts are not on a par when it comes to quality or authority.

"It seems Turkey is firmly in control of the Turkish Cypriot teams, keeping a tight leash on the members. Whereas the Greek Cypriots, even though they report back to Christofias, have some measure of autonomy, to make proposals, negotiate, the Turkish Cypriots merely read out prepared statements."

Initiative

Faustmann suspects the progress made on some of the panels may have been because some of the Turkish Cypriots actually "disobeyed orders" and took the initiative to negotiate.

And even though the Turkish Cypriot side insisted on using the Annan Plan as a reference point, this should come as no shock.

Revisiting parts of that blueprint was inevitable, since it is the culmination of years of talks and Security Council resolutions.

"From what I hear, even the Greek Cypriot experts cite elements of the Annan Plan at these meetings.

“They just have to be careful not to get caught, because we all know what a taboo word the Annan Plan has become in the south," he said.

CAPTION

MEETING: President Christofias said today’s meeting with Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat aims to make the process towards a settlement more effective. Christofias spoke to the press after addressing the AGM of OEB last night.

http://www.cyprusweekly.com.cy/default. ... wsID=304_1

[Kikapu]

The Associated PressPublished: May 27, 2008

Turkish Cypriot leader hopes for reunification of Cyprus by end 2008

BRUSSELS, Belgium: Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat said Tuesday he still hopes to begin face-to-face negotiations on reunifying Cyprus with his Greek Cypriot counterpart next month and aims to get a deal by the end of the year.

Talat, who held talks with several EU foreign ministers in Brussels, said he remains optimistic that he and Greek Cypriot counterpart, President Dimitris Christofias, can work out differences that have so far blocked direct negotiations to end the more than three-decades-long division of Cyprus.

"I am really optimistic because there is a change on the Greek Cypriot side," Talat told The Associated Press in an interview.

"It is quite possible to reach a solution by the end of 2008," Talat said, adding a lot of technical work had already been done in previous attempts to reach a deal.

He said face-to-face negotiations would concentrate on the "thorniest" remaining issues, including property rights, power-sharing and security.

The EU does not recognize the breakaway northern Turkish Cypriot half of Cyprus, and only the southern Greek Cypriot side of the island joined the bloc in 2004.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded following a failed coup staged by supporters of union with Greece. Ankara is the only government to recognize the Turkish Cypriot state.

Despite remaining optimistic, Talat said he believes the Greek Cypriots are not ready however, for reunification talks to start next month, despite having agreed to a June 21 start date.

"We agreed already on the 21st of March that we will start negotiations three months later from the date, this was declared," Talat said. "But ... the Greek Cypriot side argued that this is not the fact."

"My impression is that Greek Cypriots are not ready to start on the 21st of June, so this is a problem and we have to overcome this."

Talat and Christofias met last Friday to review preparations for starting direct talks, but disagreed on a start date.

Greek Cypriot government officials have said that negotiators had not made enough progress on some of the more sensitive issues to start direct talks.

Past efforts to reach a solution have been stalled by disagreements over issues that include power-sharing arrangements, the return of property to Greek Cypriots, and the fate of settlers from the Turkish mainland in northern Cyprus.

Talat said he urged EU officials on Tuesday to keep the pressure on Greek Cypriots so they remain committed to finding a solution.

The Greek Cypriot side of the divided island joined the EU in 2004.

"We are asking from the EU to encourage Greek Cypriots for a solution because they don't need a solution as we need, so ... motivation is necessary," Talat said.

Talat said he was hopeful that three years after promises were made to open up trade, Germany would force a breakthrough before its EU presidency ends in June.

The Turkish Cypriot community stands to gain millions of euros (dollars) in tourism and trade if it gets access to the EU, a move that would deeply anger Cyprus, because it sees it as recognition of northern Cyprus as a separate state.

Unblocking the aid and lifting the trade embargo has been an arduous process within the EU, due to Cypriot objections. Cyprus has also linked the issue to EU entry talks with Turkey, which are making little progress because of Ankara's refusal to open its ports to trade with Cyprus.

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/05/ ... -Talat.php

"It is quite possible to reach a solution by the end of 2008," Talat said, adding a lot of technical work had already been done in previous attempts to reach a deal".

Translation to the above quote is, the 2004 Annan Plan.

"We are asking from the EU to encourage Greek Cypriots for a solution because they don't need a solution as we need, so ... motivation is necessary," Talat said.

Translation to the above quote is, too many "Red Lines" = "No solution" !!.