Cyprus-Forum.com

[halil]

Transcript of Remarks by Special Advisor of the Secretary-General Alexander Downer following the meeting of Cyprus Leaders at UNFICYP Chief of Mission Residence, United Nations Protected Area, Nicosia, 26 August 2011

I just want to say that the Leaders met here today at the Chief of Mission’s residence for about five and a half hours. It was an opportunity to focus the discussions on the issue of territory. It was agreed that the issue of maps and figures would be discussed at the very end of the process so that wasn’t the issue here today but the issue of territory was discussed and the Leaders had a good opportunity to exchange views and consider each other’s positions and discuss each other’s positions so I think there is probably not much more to tell you than that.

Question: Was there any progress?
AD: As you know, and let me repeat this, because I know I have said it before and I think Ms Buttenheim has on occasions as well, look, we believe during this phase it is really important that the leaders are able to have discussions in private, obviously with us, and the principle of privacy needs properly to be respected here.Otherwise, it makes it very difficult for the Leaders to come here with different proposals and to discuss those different proposals, if there is going to be an analysis of them publicly, and leaking of them publicly, and an evaluation of them all, day by day, by the United Nations. So I can understand that for people it is frustrating not to get that information, that is well and truly understood, but always in this type of negotiations it is important to preserve that privacy.And you know, there is a lot at stake here, in these talks. This isn’t a game, this is a really important negotiation about the future of this island and it has broader implications for the Eastern Mediterranean and the European Union and Turkey and their relations so let us not play down the importance of this and therefore the importance of making sure that the process is a real process

Question: Let me rephrase my question: will they continue on the same chapter next week?

AD: Yes, I mean what we have done is we have set aside four meetings, of which this was the first, to talk about territory and also property, and so there will be three more of these meetings. The next meeting will be on Friday, today a week, because of Bayram of course in the earlier part of next week, so the next meeting will be next Friday. Then we will meet again on two occasions the following week, and I think I am right in saying, the week after that they will meet on three occasions. So there are a lot of meetings ahead: on territory, property, and then they will move on to other issues. We will announce them near of the time.

Question: You said that the maps and figures will be discussed at the very end so what aspect of territory are they discussing? You also mentioned that they are discussing property together with territory. Is that correct?

AD: Look, the focus of the discussion today was on territory, Obviously, the sides occasionally mention the issues pertaining to property in the context of territory but this is not the game we really want to play. All issues at the end of the day interlink with each other in the Cyprus talks, of course they do, so there is a substantial overlap between the chapters and everybody knows that. But clearly the focus of the talks today was on territory Well, you know what the maps and figures are. The point there is that this is a matter of a special sensitivity and has been decided by the leaders that they will leave the specifics of those issues to the end of the process. That has been their decision.

Question: Does the diplomatic row over planned oil exploration have an impact on the talks?

AD: First of all, at the meeting earlier this week, on Tuesday which was the first meeting of the Leaders since, they took, the talks took a couple of weeks off for summer holiday, there was some discussion at the beginning of that meeting on oil and gas but subsequent to that, and therefore I particularly refer to today being the second meeting since the summer break, there has been no discussion at all about it, so during the five and a half hours we met today not on any occasion, including during the period when the Leaders and I sit around and have lunch and discuss sometimes broader and other issues, not just the topic of the day, there was no discussion about this oil and gas issue so our overall view, let me make it this clear in relation to that issue, our overall view is that there is nothing more important to this island than to get an agreement here negotiated between the two sides, and we do what we can to help to achieve that.

I think everybody knows this is an incredibly difficult process. I mean, 37 years and it hasn’t succeeded. We have been working on this in the current phase for three years and it is difficult. I am not saying that we can’t succeed; I think we can succeed but I think it is extremely difficult so we want as few external issues to intrude as it is at all possible. So you know, so far I think it is fair to say that other than some discussion at the beginning of the last meeting, it hasn’t intruded into these talks, and we obviously don’t want it to intrude into these talks, otherwise it will simply make the whole process that much more difficult.

Question: (Inaudible)

No I don’t. There is no sign of that at all, should I say so far, there is no sign of that. Yes, there has been time taken up discussing it and there has been an exchange of views, where, as you can imagine, without me having to articulate it, the two sides don’t share an identity of views on this issue. But no, it has not diverted beyond that the negotiations, and as long as everybody exercises appropriate restraint then I don’t think it will have any impact on, for example, the trilateral meeting between the Secretary-General and the two Leaders here. So at this stage I have no sense that it will have any impact on that at all.

Question: Is there any possibility that a severity or gravity of the situation might suggest that the issue of exploration of natural resources could be incorporated into the territorial chapter that you are now reviewing?

AD: No, because the issues about territorial adjustment relates, remember, to the notion of boundaries between constituent states, what we in Australia would just call the states, in the United States they just call the states or in Canada the provinces or the landaus in Germany

So that is the sort of boundary you are talking about, you are not talking about national boundaries. So in terms of Cyprus’ EEZ, that will be an EEZ for the whole island, and Cyprus having being reunited as a federation, the whole question of what we have been talking about today, the territorial adjustment has no implications for this particular project”.

http://www.unficyp.org/nqcontent.cfm?a_ ... ic&lang=l1

[B25]

This terrotory talk is just BS. Turkey has already said publically she will not give another inch, so what is there to talk about??

I suggest AD and the Useless Corrupt Nations speak to Turkey about following the resolutions instead of pussyfooting around Pres. x and the illegal muktar. FFS.

[Kikapu]

Question: Is there any possibility that a severity or gravity of the situation might suggest that the issue of exploration of natural resources could be incorporated into the territorial chapter that you are now reviewing?

AD: No, because the issues about territorial adjustment relates, remember, to the notion of boundaries between constituent states, what we in Australia would just call the states, in the United States they just call the states or in Canada the provinces or the landaus in Germany

So that is the sort of boundary you are talking about, you are not talking about national boundaries. So in terms of Cyprus’ EEZ, that will be an EEZ for the whole island, and Cyprus having being reunited as a federation, the whole question of what we have been talking about today, the territorial adjustment has no implications for this particular project”.

Well, there goes the idea of the north being a sovereign state in a BBF.

As is the case with all Federal countries, the natural resources belong to the Federal Government and all proceeds goes into it's general funds, except for the state where the natural resources comes from, may get some of the loot as well as the development costs and good paying jobs, which in this case, it would be the south state. Communities do not get a percentage of the loot, therefore the TC community per say should not expect any amount of the loot to be paid to them as a community, but instead, money will be invested in the north states Federal projects as needed, such as Federal highways and Ports, assuming of course, that the north state also pays part of the cost out of their own pocket, otherwise the project will not go forward, that's all.

[Pyrpolizer]

More than 200 meetings and all we were hearing so far from the UN was "today the leaders have continued their discussion on the chapter of governance and power sharing". There has been some progress on that of course, basically because the Kypreos side had something to give

Sooooo we now entered the chapter of territory and properties!!! In which the Kibrisli and Turkey have something to give. How many meetings will those need? 2000 each? Will we ever get any progress after those 2000 meetings? Furthermore will those 2000 meetings beheld before October by which time UNSG will be expecting to hear "good" news?

With Eroglu simply not interested for a solution I really pity poor Christofias having to bear with him all this time.


NB. It could of course not be 2000 meetings but only 3-4. To conclude that the Turkish site gives nothing so goodbye talks goodbye nonsense. What the hell is there to discuss with an occupying power and their local puppets after all?