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[halil]

Opening Statement of Mr. Alexander Downer Special Adviser of the Secretary-General at the Launch of Negotiations on Cyprus
Excellencies,

Today is an historic day for Cyprus, and I commend you both for all you have done to make this meeting possible. I am honoured to be a part of a process whose success will be critical for all Cypriots. This, of course, is your process, and we at the United Nations stand ready to support you at all junctures, according to your needs as you express them to us.

As we stand here at the cusp of renewed talks, it is worthwhile to acknowledge that significant progress has been made in a fairly short time to build confidence and create a solid foundation on which to start the formal negotiations. This has occurred because of your strong and steady leadership, and has been facilitated by the hundreds of meetings that have taken place at a technical level.

There have been difficult moments over the past months and there will likely be further difficulties and challenges ahead. At the same time, the Cyprus problem is not insurmountable and the negotiations which you begin today can, and must, have a successful outcome. With that in mind, one can identify several reasons for optimism.

You have built upon your longstanding ties and your commitment to a solution to forge a common vision, which is an essential element to any peace process. On the substance, your joint statements at recent meetings have gone much further than before to define the framework of a solution. To add to that, there is an enormous amount of work to draw upon.

The structure and pace of the process has been encouraging to date. Your broad agreement to have a rolling start to the talks will allow the working groups, under your guidance, to continue to underpin your efforts and further develop options for your consideration.

With respect to the work of the technical committees, you have already agreed on a number of measures to improve the daily lives of Cypriots. The timely implementation of these measures will show Cypriots in practical ways that the communities can live together and will also help give you the political space to move forward.

Excellencies,

You own this process and, as a result, your continuing leadership is the critical element to make it succeed. In that regard, bringing Cypriots to the conviction that reunification of the island will work for the greater happiness and prosperity of all Cypriots will, ultimately, be paramount.

At the same time, we wish to assure you that the support of the United Nations and the Secretary-General will be unwavering. My appointment as Special Adviser, to help you build on what has been achieved so far, and to find further common ground, is a strong signal of that commitment.

Let me reiterate that it is a true privilege and an honour for me to be part of this historic occasion, and I wish you every success in driving this process towards a solution. A comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus issue will be your enduring legacy and an inspiration to a troubled world.

UNFICYP

[halil]

to refresh your memories ..............

Agreement on Technical Committees and Working Groups (26 March 2008)

The advisers have agreed, in accordance with the agreement reached by the leaders, to
establish, as soon as possible, the following working groups and technical committees:
Working Groups
• Governance and power-sharing
• EU matters
• Security and guarantees
• Territory
• Property
• Economic matters
Technical Committees
• Crime/Criminal matters
• Economic and commercial matters
• Cultural heritage
• Crisis management
• Humanitarian matters
• Health
• Environment
Subject to need, both advisers agreed to establish further working groups and technical
committees, as required, in order to ensure that their respective leaders may be able to
negotiate as effectively as possible on the full spectrum of issues to be discussed.

[halil]

by looking the above agreement . both leaders will follow the above producer.

they annouced that they will start with,
• Governance and power-sharing

[halil]

lets and see draft agreement was reached at 1986.

Draft Framework Agreement on Cyprus, 29 March
1986
Recognising with satisfaction that the initiative of the Secretary-General, which
bore in mind the relevant United Nations resolutions and which began in August
1984 in Vienna and continued through the high-level proximity talks from
September to December 1984 and the joint high- level meeting of January 1985
held in New York, has now resulted in an important step towards a just and lasting
settlement of the Cyprus problem; The parties agree on the following matters
which are to be viewed as an integrated whole:
I.1 The Parties:
(a) Recommit themselves to the high-level agreements of 1977 and 1979;
(b) Indicate their determination to proceed, at the date referred to in paragraph
15.1 below, to the establishment of a Federal Republic that will be independent
and non-aligned, bi-communal as regards the federal constitutional aspect and bizonal
as regards the territorial aspect;
(c) Reaffirm their acceptance of those introductory constitutional provisions that
were agreed upon at the intercommunal talks in 1981-82;
(i) The Federal Republic of Cyprus shall have international personality. The federal
government shall exercise sovereignty in respect of all of the territory. The
attributes of international personality shall be exercised by the federal government
in accordance with the federal constitution. The provinces or federated states may
act in their areas of competence in accordance with the federal constitution and in
a manner that would not duplicate the powers and functions of the federal
government as defined in the federal constitution.
(ii) The people of the Federal Republic shall comprise the Greek Cypriot community
and the Turkish Cypriot community. There shall be a single citizenship of the
Federal Republic of Cyprus regulated by federal law.
(iii) The territory of the Federal Republic shall comprise the two provinces or
federated states.
(iv) The official languages of the Federal Republic shall be Greek and Turkish. The
English language may also be used.
(v) The Federal Republic shall have a neutral flag and anthem to be agreed. Each
province or federated state may have its own flag using mainly elements of the
federal flag. The federal flag shall be flown on federal buildings and federal
locations to the exclusion of any other flag.
(vi) The federal government shall observe the holidays of the Federal Republic.
Each province or federated state shall observe the federal holidays as well as those
established by it.(vii) The parties reaffirm all other points that were agreed upon during the course
of the intercommunal talks as contained in the 'revision' dated 18 May 1982
concerning general provisions. Part I, fundamental rights and liberties. Part H, as
well as Parts III and IV.
2.1 The powers and functions to be vested in the federal government of the
Federal Republic shall comprise:
(a) Foreign affairs.
(b) Federal financial affairs (including federal budget, taxation, customs and excise
duties).
(c) Monetary and banking affairs.
(d) Federal economic affairs (including trade and tourism).
(e) Posts and telecommunications.
(f) International transport.
(g) Natural resources (including water supply, environment).
(h) Federal health and veterinary affairs.
(i) Standard setting: weights and measures, patents, trademarks,
copyrights.
(j) Federal judiciary.
(k) Appointment of federal officers.
(1) Defence (to be discussed also in connection with the treaties of guarantee and
of alliance); security (as it pertains to federal responsibility).
2.2 Additional powers and functions may be vested in the federal government by
common agreement of both sides. Accordingly, the residual powers shall rest with
the provinces or federated states. Federal legislation may be executed either by
authorities of the federal government or by
way of coordination between the competent authorities of the federal government
and of the two provinces or federated states.
3.1 The legislature of the Federal Republic will be composed of two chambers: a
lower chamber with a 70-30 Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot representation, and
an upper chamber with a 50-50 representation. Federal legislation will be enacted
with regard to the matters of federal competence as referred to in paragraph 2.1
above. The adoption of legislation on major matters, as for instance on ten of the
twelve functions referred to in paragraph 2.1 above, will require separate
majorities in both chambers. The adoption of legislation on other matters will
require majorities of the membership in each chamber.
3.2 Appropriate constitutional safeguards and deadlock resolving machinery
including special provisions to facilitate action on matters necessary for the
continued functioning of the federal government (e.g. on budgetary questions) will
be incorporated in the federal constitution. In case of deadlock in the legislature,
the proposed legislation may be submitted in the first instance to a conciliation
committee of the legislature composed of three Greek Cypriots and two Turkish
Cypriots, whose decision will be taken on the basis of majority vote including at
least one Turkish Cypriot. If the deadlock persists, the president and vice-president
of the Federal Republic will, upon request, appoint on an ad hoc basis one persons
each, selected for their knowledge of the subject involved, who, with the
assistance of experts as needed, including from outside the Federal Republic of
Cyprus, will advise the legislature on ways the deadlock could be resolved. The
matter may also be submitted to a referendum among the population of the
community which opposed the draft legislation. Legislation adopted by the
legislature may be taken to the Constitutional Court for ruling as to whether it
violates the constitution or is discriminatory against either community.
4.1 The Federal Republic will have a presidential system of government. The
president and the vice-president will symbolise the unity of the country and the
equal political status of the two communities. In addition, the executive will
reflect the functional requirements of an effective federal government.
4.2 The president will be a Greek Cypriot and the vice-president will be a Turkish
Cypriot. The president and the vice-president will, separately or conjointly, have
the right to veto any law or decision of the legislature and the Council of Ministers
in areas to be agreed upon, it being understood that the scope will exceed that
covered by the 1960 constitution. The president and the vice-president will have
the right, separately or conjointly, to return any law or decision of the legislature
or any decision of the Council of Ministers for reconsideration.
4.3 The Council of Ministers will be composed of Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot
ministers on a 7 to 3 ratio. One major ministry will be headed by a Turkish Cypriot,
it being understood that the parties agree to discuss that the Minister for Foreign
Affairs will be a Turkish Cypriot. The Council of Ministers will take decisions by
weighted voting, that is a simple majority including at least one Turkish Cypriot
minister. It is understood that the parties agree to discuss that weighted voting will
apply to all matters of special concern to the Turkish Cypriot community to be
agreed upon.
4.4 Appropriate constitutional safeguards and deadlock resolving machinery related
to decisions by the Council of Ministers, including special provisions to facilitate
action on matters necessary for the continued functioning of the federal
government, will be incorporated in the federal constitution. In case of deadlock,
the president and vice- president of the Federal Republic will, upon request,
appoint on an ad hoc basis one person each, selected for their knowledge of the
subject involved, who, with the assistance of experts as needed, including from
outside the Federal Republic of Cyprus, will advise the Council of Ministers on ways.
the deadlock could be resolved. The matter may also be submitted to a referendum
among the population of the community which opposed the draft decision. A
decision by the Council of Ministers may be taken to the Constitutional Court for
ruling as to whether it violates the constitution or is discriminatory against either
community.
5.1 The Constitutional Court, when ruling on disputes relating to the distribution of
powers and functions between the federal government and the provinces or
federated states and on such other matters as may be assigned to it by the parties
in accordance with the federal constitution, will be composed of one Greek
Cypriot, one Turkish Cypriot and one non-Cypriot voting member,
6.1 As regards freedom of movement, freedom of settlement and right to property,
a working group will discuss the exercise of these rights, including time-frames,
practical regulations and possible compensation arrangements, taking into account
guideline 3 of the 1977 agreement.
7.1 Territorial adjustments, in addition to the areas already referred to in the 5
August 1981 Turkish Cypriot proposals, will be agreed upon. These territorial
adjustments will result in the Turkish Cypriot province or federated state
comprising in the order of 29 plus per cent of the territory of the Federal Republic.
It is understood that when discussing the actual territorial adjustments the two
sides will have in mind the 1977 high-level agreement including 'certain practical
difficulties which may arise for the Turkish Cypriot community' and the questions
related to resettlement. Both sides agree to suggest special status areas adjacent
to each other for the purpose of enhancing trust between the sides. These areas
will remain under their respective civilian jurisdictions.
8.1 A timetable for the withdrawal of non-Cypriot military troops and elements, as
well as adequate guarantees, will be agreed upon prior to the establishment of a
transitional federal government. In the meantime, military deconfrontation
measures will be pursued by both sides, using the good offices and assistance of
UNFICYP.
8.2 The two sides undertake to discuss these issues in good faith and to consider
each other's concerns on them.
9.1 A Fund for Development of the Turkish Cypriot province or federated state shall
be established with a view to achieving an economic equilibrium between the two
provinces or federated states. A fund will also be established to facilitate the
resettlement of the Greek Cypriot displaced persons, and for the Turkish Cypriots
displaced as a consequence of the implementation of paragraph 7.1. The federal
government shall contribute to these funds. Foreign governments and international
organisations shall be invited to contribute to the funds.
10.1 The Varosha area and the six additional areas delineated in the Turkish
Cypriot map of 5 August 1981 will be placed under United Nations interim
administration as part of the UNFICYP buffer zone for resettlement by....


11.1 Both parties agree not to take any action tending to prejudice the process
outlined in this agreement, both on the international scene and internally.
12.1 The Nicosia international airport will be reopened under interim United
Nations administration with free access from both sides. The United Nations will
conclude the arrangements to that effect by....
13.1 Adequate machinery for considering allegations of non-implementation of
confidence-building measures will be agreed upon. The Secretary-General will
make appropriate recommendations to both sides in this regard.
14.1 The parties to agree to establish working groups to work out the detailed
agreements on the matters referred to in this agreement, whose elements are
inter-related and constitute an integrated whole. The working groups will carry out
their work under the direction of joint high-level
meetings. These joint high-level meetings will take place every three to four
months, on the basis of an agenda prepared by the Secretary-General, to discuss
the issues which remain to be negotiated under this agreement, to review the work
and provide guidance to the working groups. The joint high-level meetings will be
convened by the Secretary-General after adequate preparation.
14.2 Each working group will be composed of delegations from the two sides and
will be chaired by a representative of the Secretary-General. The working groups
will begin their meetings at the United Nations premises in Nicosia on.... Each
working group will prepare a programme of work and will submit it for approval
and guidance to the joint high-level meeting which will take place at the United
Nations premises in Nicosia on....
14.3 The representative of the Secretary-General chairing each working group will
every three months prepare an assessment of the progress made by the working
group, which will be presented to the next joint high-level meeting together with
the views of the Secretary-General.
15.1 The parties agree that, the required working groups having completed their
work and having obtained the approval of the two sides, the transitional federal
government of the Federal Republic of Cyprus will be set up on....
16.1 The Secretary-General will remain at the disposal of the parties to assist in
the elaboration of this agreement, and, if required, in its interpretation.

[denizaksulu]

A lot to work on. Good luck to those who are involved.

Thanks Halil for the reminders.

[halil]

At the end of this morning’s meeting, the UN Secretary General’s Special Adviser on Cyprus Alexander Downer read out a statement issued by the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon on the launch of the negotiations on Cyprus.


In his statement, the UN Chief warmly welcomed the formal launch by the two leaders of fully-fledged negotiations.


`I commend the leaders for their seriousness of purpose, sense of compromise and commitment to seeing the peace process through to a successful conclusion`, Mr Ban said.


He said that the UN supports and encourages both parties as they take a historic step together so as to reach a negotiated settlement to reunify the island.


In his letter, the UN Chief also assured the parties that the UN will provide unwavering support through the efforts of his Special Adviser and his Special Representative and all the UN’s team.

The next meeting between the two leaders will be held on the 11th of September when they will start their talks with discussions on governance and power sharing.

[DT.]

One Greek Cypriot President and a Turkish Cypriot Vice President.

[paliometoxo]

11th september, heh...

[halil]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/ne ... 595506.stm

Greek and Turkish cypriot leaders will start talking about reunification today - its the first official UN hosted talks in more than four years. Now the two sides agreed in principle that there should be a single sovereignty and citizenship. Lord Hannay was Britain's Special representative for Cyprus between 1996 and 2003 and he says he is not confident that the talks will amount to anything great


http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7595217.stm

[halil]

Q&A: Cyprus peace process

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/2839603.stm



A UN peace process ground to halt in 2004, and a programme of confidence-building steps agreed in 2006 brought few practical results.

But hopes are high that these negotiations will produce results in a process that has defeated generations of peacemakers. The UN has described the discussions as a "historic" move.


The latest round is being overseen by UN special envoy and former Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer.


Why is Cyprus divided?


The split occurred in 1974, when a Greek-inspired coup prompted a Turkish invasion of the northern third of the island. The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, declared in 1983, is recognised only by Turkey.

The rest of the world recognises the whole of the island as the Republic of Cyprus, although in practice the government only controls the territory to the south of a UN-patrolled "green line".


Why are analysts positive about these negotiations?


Demetris Christofias and Mehmet Ali Talat - both considered moderates - have repeated that they are committed to finding a lasting solution.


"There is a common will and a common desire and a common effort to achieve this target," Mr Christofias said as the talks opened in September.


The two have already met five times this year and are expected to continue to meet once a week until a tangible solution is found. A hotline is also due to be created so they can remain in constant telephone contact throughout the negotiations.

What went wrong in 2004?

The UN made a huge effort to get both sides to agree a peace settlement before Cyprus joined the EU on 1 May 2004. The UN's plan to make Cyprus a federation of two states with a loose central government, was put to the vote on 24 April 2004. The Turkish Cypriots voted in favour, the Greek Cypriots voted against.

What happened to the peace process after that?

It was on hold for two years, until the UN arranged a meeting between Cypriot President Tassos Papadopoulos and the Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat on 3 July 2006.

They agreed to a series of further bilateral talks on technical issues - such as water management and environmental protection - and on substantive political issues that will be key to any solution.

But political disagreements appear to have prevented the talks getting under way until Mr Christofias won presidential elections in February 2008.

Mr Christofias, a left-winger, then pledged to work on re-uniting the island, saying he "extended a hand of friendship to my compatriots the Turkish Cypriots and their political leadership".

What developments have taken place at European Union level?


The UN proposed returning Varosha resort to Greek Cypriots
The EU agreed in 2004 to end the isolation of the Turkish Cypriot community, and to encourage its economic development. Soon afterwards, the European Commission put forward draft regulations on opening Turkish Cypriot ports and airports to direct trade, and providing 250m euros (£168m) of aid.

Some aid is now on the way to the north of the island, but the Cypriot government has so far blocked the regulation on direct trade, arguing that this would be tantamount to recognising the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

The Finnish EU presidency in the second half of 2006 attempted to unblock the stalemate by proposing putting the Turkish Cypriot-controlled port of Famagusta under UN administration, and allowing it to trade directly with the EU.

The deal could also have involved allowing Greek Cypriots access to the nearby resort of Varosha, which they were forced to leave in 1974.

Was Turkey involved in any discussions on this subject?

Yes, because one of the EU's goals was to encourage Turkey to honour a commitment to open its ports and airports to Cypriot vessels.

Turkey made this commitment in 2005, and the European Union regards it as an unconditional obligation.

Turkey, on the other hand, wants the EU to honour its commitments to the Turkish Cypriots in return

It says the EU made a commitment to facilitate direct trade with the Turkish Cypriot community. Most EU member states and the European Commission take the same view.

In December 2006, EU foreign ministers agreed to slow down talks on Turkey's membership because of its failure to open its ports and airports to Cypriot traffic, and the move had a negative impact on prospects of reuniting Cyprus.

Why did the Greek Cypriots vote against the UN plan?

These were among the most unpopular points:

Not all Greek Cypriot refugees would have got back the homes they left in the 1970s
Some Turkish troops would have been allowed to stay on the island indefinitely
Turkish settlers would also have been allowed to stay.
Why did the Turkish Cypriots vote in favour?

Many people wanted to end the community's isolation, and hoped for a rise in living standards.

They ignored the advice of their then leader, Rauf Denktash, to vote against the plan. However, the "Yes" vote has brought them no benefits in practice.

What else was in the UN plan?

The deal would have meant the Turkish community giving up some of the land it holds, leaving it with about 29% of the total.

The presidency of the united Cyprus would have switched back and forth between the two communities.

How has life already changed on the island?

Travel restrictions were eased in April 2003 after 29 years of total division.

Since then, thousands have crossed the border, and emotional meetings between former friends and neighbours have helped overcome some prejudices.