Cyprus-Forum.com

[Kikapu]

Hopes rise ahead of fresh Cyprus unity talks

By Andrew Bounds in Strasbourg

Published: March 12 2008 02:00 | Last updated: March 12 2008 02:00

Greek Cypriots will talk directly to their Turkish counterparts after four years of deadlock, the country's new foreign minister has said, and the two sides could reopen border crossings as early as next week.

Markos Kyprianou said he was "cautiously optimistic" about renewed negotiations to unite the island divided by a Turkish invasion in 1974 in his first newspaper interview since his appointment late last month.

In a sign of the sudden thaw in relations since presidential elections last month he said the wall that splits Nicosia's main street could be dismantled next week after a meeting between Demetris Christofias, Cypriot president, and Mehmet Ali Talat, leader of the Turkish Cypriots. The meeting is the first of its kind since 2006 when Tassos Papadopoulos, then Cypriot president, and Mr Talat agreed to launch confidence-building measures under United Nations auspices but substantive talks never got off the ground.

"One issue being discussed as a confidence-building measure is the opening of one or two more crossings on the green line," said Mr Kyprianou, referring to a ceasefire line monitored by the UN peacekeeping forces. "We have received positive signals from the UN in Cyprus. Hopefully they [the leaders] will be able to announce the opening of these crossings at the meeting."

There are just four crossing points between the Greek-controlled south and the Turkish north, a statelet recognised only by Ankara.

Reopening Ledra Street, the "Checkpoint Charlie" of Nicosia, would have symbolic importance and help revitalise the centre of the divided capital, parts of which have become a ghost town, Mr Kyprianou said. He said the two communities should work together to facilitate trade and tourism.

"There is mobility now around the Cyprus problem. The point is how we turn this mobility into a new initiative and therefore into negotiations to reach a comprehensive settlement of the problem."

UN representatives would visit the island next month to see how talks could proceed, Mr Kyprianou said. He stressed that "any effort will be under UN auspices" but should be Cypriot-owned and devised, not imposed.

The grand plan of Kofi Annan, former UN secretary-general, to reunite the island was defeated in a referendum by the Greeks in 2004 after Mr Papadopoulos campaigned against it, while the Turks backed it. Mr Papadopoulos subsequently took an uncompromising stance before his election defeat, even though the two sides did agree to take confidence-building measures in a deal signed on July 8 2006.

Mr Kyprianou said that document, not the Annan plan, which was "dead", should form the basis of negotiations.

"It sets out some of the basic parameters of the future solution," the former European Union health commissioner said.

However, the Turkish side sees it more as an interim arrangement.

In a sign that talks will not be easy, Mr Kyprianou said it was "unfortunate" that Mr Talat had disparaged the agreement publicly.

Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/4c94c408-efd9 ... fd2ac.html

[Viewpoint]

Mr Kyprianou said that document, not the Annan plan, which was "dead", should form the basis of negotiations.

could someone clarify the above?

[Kikapu]

Mr Kyprianou said that document, not the Annan plan, which was "dead", should form the basis of negotiations.

could someone clarify the above?

The phrasing is wrong in the article, but what I got from it was, that that the AP was dead, and the July 8th agreements were the basis for negotiations.

[Kikapu]

UN chief urges international backing to reunify Cyprus

The Associated PressPublished: March 18, 2008


UNITED NATIONS: Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged the international community to "seize the momentum and window of opportunity" to reunite the divided Mediterranean island of Cyprus.

Ban told reporters Monday that newly elected Greek Cypriot President Dimitris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat have agreed to talks, and he is sending U.N. political chief B. Lynn Pascoe to Cyprus as head of a team that will assess prospects for a breakthrough.

Cyprus has been divided between a Greek Cypriot south and a Turkish-occupied north since 1974, when Turkey invaded after an abortive Athens-backed coup by supporters of union with Greece. In a 2004 referendum, a U.N. reunification plan was rejected by Greek Cypriot voters and accepted by Turkish Cypriots.

The election last month of the communist-rooted Christofias has rekindled efforts to end Cyprus' 34-year-old division through direct talks between the two communities. Christofias defeated former President Tassos Papadopoulos, who had opposed power-sharing plans promoted by the U.N., arguing they would hurt Greek Cypriot rights.

"I think the international community should seize the momentum and window of opportunity when Mr. Christofias, the new Cyprus president, was elected and is committed to resolution of this issue," Ban told reporters after his monthly lunch with the Security Council where Cyprus was one of the issues discussed.

"I met Mr. Talat during my stay in Dakar, Senegal, and he also expressed his willingness to engage in constructive dialogue," Ban said. The U.N. chief had just returned from the Organization of the Islamic Conference summit in Dakar.

Christofias and Talat agreed last week to hold talks on March 21 on reviving U.N.-backed reunification efforts.

The secretary-general said he wants Pascoe, the undersecretary-general for political affairs, "to engage in dialogue with all stakeholders" in Cyprus.

"We hope that we'll be able to see improvement and make some breakthrough in these long pending issues in Europe," he said.

Ban gave no dates for Pascoe's trip.

Cyprus joined the European Union in 2004, but the bloc's benefits are only enjoyed by the internationally recognized Greek Cypriot south.

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/03/ ... Cyprus.php

[boomerang]

From this

UN chief urges international backing to reunify Cyprus

The Associated PressPublished: March 18, 2008


UNITED NATIONS: Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged the international community to "seize the momentum and window of opportunity" to reunite the divided Mediterranean island of Cyprus.

Ban told reporters Monday that newly elected Greek Cypriot President Dimitris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat have agreed to talks, and he is sending U.N. political chief B. Lynn Pascoe to Cyprus as head of a team that will assess prospects for a breakthrough.

Cyprus has been divided between a Greek Cypriot south and a Turkish-occupied north since 1974, when Turkey invaded after an abortive Athens-backed coup by supporters of union with Greece. In a 2004 referendum, a U.N. reunification plan was rejected by Greek Cypriot voters and accepted by Turkish Cypriots.

The election last month of the communist-rooted Christofias has rekindled efforts to end Cyprus' 34-year-old division through direct talks between the two communities. Christofias defeated former President Tassos Papadopoulos, who had opposed power-sharing plans promoted by the U.N., arguing they would hurt Greek Cypriot rights.

"I think the international community should seize the momentum and window of opportunity when Mr. Christofias, the new Cyprus president, was elected and is committed to resolution of this issue," Ban told reporters after his monthly lunch with the Security Council where Cyprus was one of the issues discussed.

"I met Mr. Talat during my stay in Dakar, Senegal, and he also expressed his willingness to engage in constructive dialogue," Ban said. The U.N. chief had just returned from the Organization of the Islamic Conference summit in Dakar.

Christofias and Talat agreed last week to hold talks on March 21 on reviving U.N.-backed reunification efforts.

The secretary-general said he wants Pascoe, the undersecretary-general for political affairs, "to engage in dialogue with all stakeholders" in Cyprus.

"We hope that we'll be able to see improvement and make some breakthrough in these long pending issues in Europe," he said.

Ban gave no dates for Pascoe's trip.

Cyprus joined the European Union in 2004, but the bloc's benefits are only enjoyed by the internationally recognized Greek Cypriot south.

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/03/ ... Cyprus.php

To this...by our favorite reporter form bayarark

The Turkish Cypriot leadership and Turkey have set a one-year deadline for a solution to the decades-long Cyprus dispute.
Though the deadline is only an approximate one, the Turkish Cypriot side is not expected to allow the new Cyprus talks to drag on into the middle of 2009 and want their completion in the first months of 2008 at the latest, according to Turkish Cypriot diplomatic sources in Lefkoşa (Nicosia).

golly...I don't know about you guys...but something tells me The International Herald Tribune, got it wrong...again...Please International Herald Tribune stop the fibbing

[Kikapu]

The Associated PressPublished: March 19, 2008



A Cypriot soldier standing guard next to the UN buffer zone (Green Line) that divides the Greek and Turkish Cypriot controlled areas. (Petros Karadjias/The Associated Press)


Failure of new peace talks would be 'devastating,' president of Cyprus says


NICOSIA: The failure of renewed peace talks between Greek and Turkish Cypriots would be "devastating" for Cyprus, President Dimitris Christofias said Wednesday.

His comments came two days before his first "exploratory" meeting with the Turkish Cypriot leader, Mehmet Ali Talat, since Christofias won a general election last month.

At the meeting Friday the two are expected to discuss restarting negotiations on reunifying the island, which has been split into a Turkish Cypriot north and a Greek Cypriot south since 1974.

"This time we must succeed," Christofias said at a news conference. "A new failure will be devastating for the future of our people, Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots."

A solution to the island's division must be fair and viable, Christofias said, adding that the solution must come from the Cypriots themselves, rather than from foreign mediators, who he has said should only have a supporting role.


"Cypriots aren't so immature that they need to be led by the hand," he said.

Christofias reaffirmed a commitment to seek a "renewed partnership" between the two communities under a "bizonal" federation.

He also appealed for time. His election has led to expectations of a speedy settlement that have put him under pressure to produce swift results.

"We can't solve the Cyprus issue in a month," he said. "Give us some time, patience and tolerance."

Christofias also said Greek Cypriots were ready to reopen a crossing point at Ledra Street, a busy pedestrian shopping street in the heart of Nicosia that has been physically split for decades between the Turkish north and the Greek south.

Ledra Street has come to embody the island's division, and opening a crossing there would be highly symbolic.

"I hope a Ledra Street opening can help in furthering contact between ordinary people so that it can heal their wounded souls and lessen the distance between them," Christofias said.

The president said another crossing should also be opened at Limnitis in the northwest of the island, but that this was not tied to the Ledra Street opening.

At the moment, the island has five crossing points between the sides. They were opened when Turkish Cypriot authorities relaxed restrictions in 2003.

http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/03/19/ ... cyprus.php

[Kikapu]

The Associated PressPublished: March 19, 2008

Breaking barriers: Cyprus street-opening would shatter old symbol of division


NICOSIA, Cyprus: The boutiques and shoppers on Ledra Street seem entirely in place in the capital of a country that has joined the peaceful, prosperous European Union.

Yet this popular thoroughfare comes to a jarring stop at an 8-foot-tall barrier of aluminum and plastic under armed guard. It's a stark reminder that Nicosia remains Europe's last divided capital in its last partitioned country.

On Friday, the island's rival leaders are expected to agree to open the barrier to pedestrians — a deeply symbolic move that would give a lift to efforts to end the Mediterranean island's nearly 34 years of division.

The barrier looks a lot less forbidding than the concrete wall torn down a year ago. But it rudely interrupts a vibrant north-south street in the capital's medieval core, shutting out a decaying no man's land of weed-strewn streets and crumbling buildings between the Greek Cypriot south and the Turkish Cypriot north.

The U.N.-controlled buffer zone has been in limbo since 1974 when Turkey invaded in response to a failed coup by supporters of uniting the island with Greece.

After the 1989 opening of the Brandenburg Gate, symbol of Berlin's Cold War division, Nicosia became Europe's last divided city, and the Ledra Street barricade was the most poignant symbol of the divide. The nearby Ledra Palace, the city's classiest hotel, became a U.N. outpost, and for nearly 30 years traffic between the two halves of the island was nonexistent.

Expectations are high that the presidents of the two sides, both leftists and ideological kinsmen, will jointly announce a Ledra opening Friday to serve as a springboard for fresh talks on reunification after years of deadlock.

On Wednesday, Greek Cypriot President Dimitris Christofias said Greek Cypriots were "ready to proceed with the opening at Ledra Street."

Christofias was elected last month on a pledge to reunify the island. His Turkish Cypriot counterpart, Mehmet Ali Talat, said a deal on reunification could be reached by year's end.

Talks have been dormant since 2004, when Greek Cypriots rejected a U.N. blueprint for reunification while Turkish Cypriots approved it in separate referendums. The internationally-recognized Greek Cypriot side was admitted to the EU, but the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus was left out.

Still, the drive to reopen Ledra Street has moved ahead. There are plans to shore up derelict buildings on either side of the street. A key sticking point, the presence of Turkish army patrols, appears to have been overcome, with aides to Christofias and Talat suggesting last week that the troops would pull back out of sight of the crossing.

Another breach in the buffer zone would be nothing new — five crossings have opened since 2003 when Turkish Cypriots eased restrictions, and hundreds of thousands have crossed from both sides to visit old friends and homes they lost when their island, less than half the size of Massachusetts, was divided.

But a Ledra Street crossing would be special. "It could serve as an icebreaker. I think we are able work things out with the Turkish Cypriots," said Chrysanthos Trokkoudes, 69, who runs a health food store near the barrier.

Ledra Street became a symbol of separation in January 1964 when British peacekeepers laid barbed wire across it to enforce a cease-fire agreement. Ten years later the Turkish invasion cemented the division.

"A symbol of division may now turn out to become a symbol of reunification," said Mustafa Akinci, a former mayor of the Turkish Cypriot side.

It would also inject life and commerce into the old town nestled within 15th-century Venetian walls, especially on the internationally isolated Turkish Cypriot side.

"We hope this helps to bring more people here. Pedestrian traffic will definitely pick up," said clothing store manager Ioanna Achilleos.

"We want to look ahead with hope; we all want a solution that we can all live with."

But after a slew of failed initiatives, Cypriots are jaded. Phanos Pavlides, 84, wants more than just a removal of the barriers on Ledra Street, where his gift shop has been mainstay since 1939.

"I really hope they're sincere about a solution this time, and it won't be just another crossing opening," he said.

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/03/ ... Street.php

[Kikapu]

The Associated PressPublished: March 21, 2008


Cypriot leaders meet in hope of reviving stalled unification talks


NICOSIA, Cyprus: The Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders were meeting Friday, hoping to revive stalled talks aimed at reunifying the divided island.

Cyprus' new leftist president, Dimitris Christofias, will hold "exploratory" talks with Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat to determine whether new negotiations were possible after four years of deadlock.

Christofias, who heads the Communist-rooted AKEL party, pledged to meet Talat within hours of winning presidential elections last month.

Before the talks, Christofias said he hoped a deal would be struck to open a crossing point at Ledra Street, a busy pedestrian shopping street in the heart of Nicosia that runs across the capital's dividing line.

Ledra Street has come to symbolize the island's division.

On Friday, the two leaders were meeting inside the U.N. controlled buffer zone near the long-abandoned Nicosia airport. The U.N. special representative to Cyprus, Michael Moller, will moderate the talks.

Cyprus was divided into an internationally recognized Greek Cypriot south and a breakaway Turkish Cypriot north in 1974, when Turkey invaded in response to a short-lived coup by people who wanted to unite the island with Greece.

Peace talks have been stalled since 2004, when Greek Cypriot voters rejected a U.N. settlement plan in a referendum. Turkish Cypriots had backed the plan.

The two leaders share left-wing roots and have friendly relations, but disagree whether to base future negotiations on the last U.N. draft settlement.

Christofias is seeking a new starting point under a 2006 U.N.-brokered to promote confidence-building measures.

"To remain stuck on the (last) plan is the recipe for doing nothing," government spokesman Stefanos Stefanou said Thursday.

But he argued a continued deadlock could be "catastrophic" and lead to the island's permanent partition.

"If we don't manage ... to come to an agreement, we should try again, again and again until we get somewhere," Stefanou said. "We cannot accept the division of the island as a solution of the Cyprus problem."

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/03/ ... rus-UN.php

[Kikapu]

The Associated PressPublished: March 21, 2008

Cypriot leaders move forward on reconciliation


NICOSIA: The leaders of the Greek and Turkish communities of Cyprus agreed Friday to restart peace talks on reunifying the ethnically split island, and to open a crossing in the heart of the divided capital.

The president of Cyprus, Dimitris Christofias, and the Turkish Cypriot leader, Mehmet Ali Talat, met for the first time since Christofias's election last month renewed hopes that the island's three-decade-long division could be resolved.

"This is a new era. We're starting for the solution of the Cyprus problem," Talat said after the meeting inside the UN-controlled buffer zone near the long-abandoned Nicosia airport. The United Nations's special representative to Cyprus, Michael Moller, attended the meeting.

Both sides agreed to open a crossing at Ledra Street, a busy pedestrian shopping street in the heart of Nicosia that runs across the capital's dividing line. Ledra symbolizes the island's division. A crossing at the street will open "as soon as technically possible," Moller said.

The street is blocked by a wall of aluminum and plastic on either side, with a no-man's-land of abandoned buildings and rubble stretching between the barriers. The barriers will have to be dismantled and the dilapidated abandoned buildings blocked off before that stretch of the street can reopen to pedestrians.


The mayor of Nicosia, Eleni Mavrou, said on CyBC state radio that work would start Monday on dismantling the barriers and that a crossing could open the following week.

Talat and Christofias will meet again in three months, Moller said. Meanwhile, both sides will set up committees to begin working together on the details of an agreement to reunify the island. The groups also will be asked to specify the major obstacles that the two leaders will tackle when they begin face-to-face talks.

Those obstacles include disagreement on full Turkish troop withdrawal from the north and scrapping intervention rights ceded to Britain, Greece and Turkey in the defunct UN plan.

Aides to the two will meet next week to set up the groups, Moller said.

Cyprus was split into an internationally recognized Greek Cypriot south and a Turkish Cypriot north in 1974, when Turkey sent in its military in response to a short-lived coup by politicians who wanted to unite the island with Greece.

Peace talks have been stalled since 2004, when Greek Cypriot voters rejected a UN settlement plan in a referendum. Turkish Cypriots backed the plan.

"We shall try our utmost in order to come to an agreed solution for the interest of the Cypriot people, both communities, as soon as possible," Christofias said.

He acknowledged that the two sides still disagreed on certain issues, but said that "we shall examine any possible disagreements together," adding that "we have to be optimistic."

The two leaders skirted the thornier issues to avoid jeopardizing progress, focusing instead on setting the process in motion.

"We want to underline what we agreed, not anything we disagreed," Christofias said.

Within hours of winning the presidential elections last month, Christofias, who heads the Communist-rooted AKEL party, pledged to meet Talat.

The two share left-wing roots and have friendly relations, but disagree on whether to base future negotiations on the last UN draft settlement.

http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/03/21/ ... cyprus.php

[Kikapu]

By Michele Kambas and Simon Bahceli ReutersPublished: March 21, 2008

Cyprus leaders agree to relaunch reunification talks


NICOSIA: Leaders of Cyprus's Greek and Turkish communities agreed on Friday to relaunch reunification talks and to open a barricaded street in Nicosia that symbolises the island's division.

It was the first meeting between Greek Cypriot leader Demetris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat since Christofias was elected to the Cypriot presidency last month and raised hopes for reviving talks that are also crucial for Turkey's bid to join the European Union.

"The leaders have agreed to meet three months from now," said Michael Moller, the U.N. special representative in Cyprus, who hosted the meeting between the two men at a U.N. controlled territory splitting Nicosia, Cyprus's war-divided capital.

"The leaders have also agreed Ledra Street, as soon as technically possible, should open and function," he added.

Greek and Turkish Cypriots have lived separately since a Turkish invasion in 1974 in response to a brief Greek-inspired coup. Peace efforts collapsed in 2004 when Greek Cypriots rejected a U.N. reunification blueprint accepted by Turkish Cypriots, and soon afterwards joined the European Union alone.

The European Union welcomed the result. "I look forward to walking across the Green Line at Ledra Street myself in the near future," said Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn.

Analysts say this could be the last chance to end the division. Diplomats fear an enduring stalemate would entrench partition, harming Turkey's EU entry hopes and relations with NATO partner Greece.

Moller said the two sides had agreed to set up committees to discuss issues and the two leaders would meet in three months to examine progress and then start fully-fledged negotiations.

"It was the best possible result at this moment," said political analyst Yannis Papadakis. "They have agreed on the process. The opening of Ledra Street, which has been a trouble spot for many years, is very symbolic."

LEDRA OPENS

Ledra, a main shopping street in the heart of medieval Nicosia, has been barricaded for about half a century. The wall was torn down in recent years but the street remains blocked due to controversy over military patrols in the area.

Decaying buildings in the buffer zone must be shored up and the area swept for mines before it can open to the public, a process the United Nations say will take 10-15 days.

"It breaks my heart to see these crumbling buildings every day," said Chysanthos Trokkoudis, a merchant close to the barricade since 1959. "It's a good first step to open Ledra, it will help improve relations."

About 150 people gathered at the spot, with banners reading "Open up Ledra" and "End the division". A smaller group gathered on the Turkish Cypriot side 80 metres (yards) away.

"This barricade is a symbol of division. When it is open, it will be a symbol of peace. We want a united and independent Cyprus," said Salih Taskin, 48, a travel agent.

Christofias and Talat were upbeat. "I look forward ... to having in three months' time results which will help both of us have a dialogue under the auspices of the Secretary-General," Christofias told reporters. "We have to be optimistic anyway and we agreed that we shall work together in good will."

Former president Tassos Papadopoulos, defeated last month, made little progress towards reunification in talks with Talat. Christofias has maintained closer ties with Turkish Cypriots and, like Talat, has a background in leftist political activism.

"This is a new era we are starting for the solution of the Cyprus problem. Our target is to find a comprehensive solution to the Cyprus problem as soon as possible," Talat said.

The Greek Cypriots in the south represent Cyprus in the European Union and have the right to prevent Turkey from joining the bloc.

(Additional reporting by Stelios Orphanides, Writing by Dina Kyriakidou; Editing by Janet Lawrence)

http://www.iht.com/articles/reuters/200 ... -TALKS.php