Cyprus-Forum.com

[halil]

“Remarks to the press following meeting with Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leaders

Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.

I would once again like to thank Their Excellencies, Mr. Christofias and Mr. Eroglu, for accepting my invitation to join me at Greentree over the last two days.

This has been our fourth meeting together as we work to develop a comprehensive settlement for Cyprus. We last met in July in Geneva. At that meeting we agreed that the sides would intensify the talks in order to reach convergences on outstanding core issues in the negotiations.

Since July, in that intensified phase, the leaders met 19 times in an intensive way. It was a difficult period at times, but both sides stayed the course and progress was made on some key outstanding issues. Considerable advances were made in the areas of economy, EU matters and internal aspects of security. Much less progress was made in the important areas of governance, property, territory and citizenship.

I invited His Excellency Mr. Christofias and His Excellency Mr. Eroglu to Greentree in the hope of reaching further convergences on these central issues. I have also used the opportunity of our time together at Greentree to assess how close the two sides are to reaching a solution.

The sides have made some encouraging progress during these two days on some of the remaining core issues. As my Special Adviser noted, discussions have been positive, productive and vigorous. This has given me confidence that a comprehensive settlement can be achieved. Both leaders have assured me that they believe that they can finalize a deal.

There is still work to be done. Their Excellencies, Mr. Christofias and Mr. Eroglu, have agreed that further efforts are essential over the next two months to move to the end game of the negotiations. My Special Adviser and his team remain ready to assist. I have invited the two leaders to meet with me again in a similar format in January next year. By then, I expect the internal aspects of the Cyprus problem to have been resolved so that we can move to the multilateral conference shortly thereafter.

Thank you very much. Thank you.”

[B25]

The moment he said "Their Excellencies, Mr. Christofias and Mr. Eroglu" was the moment I switched off and rendered this speech BS.

He sought to equate a President of a sovereign Republic to a puppet of an illegal occupying force.

Whet a wanker this Monkeymoon is. Everything else was not even worth reading. Pezevengis

[humanist]

don't forget halil has posted the article. It could very well have been edited. Moon is justas you said monkey. There should be no issue with territory or citizenship. The fact that the RoC is agreeing to allow settlers to remain is a huge compromise on the Cypriot side. Which as would appear now is representing the repressed TC's in the occupied area.

[kurupetos]

Christofias is just wasting CY taxpayers money. Fat c*nt.
These talks are going nowhere, and the fat tw*t knows it.

[humanist]

If he doesn't do anything you guys will blame him also. He needs to fight the fight and record in UN meetings that the TC's are maintaining status quo

[paaul12]

and theres more! nothing was said about!!!!!!!!!

Erdoğan said the Greek Cypriot side was still expecting the Turkish side to agree to even broader concessions than the ones in the Annan plan, but made it clear that the circumstances have changed. “The Annan plan conditions have changed. We will be coming to [the negotiating] table differently. They [the Greek Cypriots] are still thinking of what more they get can get besides [concessions stipulated in] the Annan plan. Well, excuse us, but the time [of concessions] has passed,” said Erdoğan.

i guess that is all OK

in case you dont recall have a look at: cyprus34950.html

[halil]

The United Nations yesterday (1 November) called for a summit to be held in January between leaders of ethnically split Cyprus aimed at settling a decades-old conflict that has blocked Turkey's bid to join the EU. Cyprus will hold the rotating EU Presidency in the send half of 2012.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed optimism that Cyprus' President Demetris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Derviş Eroğlu were on their way to resolving long-standing differences.

The UN leader, speaking in New York, indicated that leaders of both communities would hopefully reach agreement on outstanding issues in January. In case the summit ends successfully, a follow-up conference would take place with Turkey, Britain and Greece, which are the guarantor powers of Cypriot sovereignty.

"Discussions have been positive, productive and vigorous," Ban told journalists, flanked by the two leaders at the UN headquarters.

"This has given me confidence that a comprehensive settlement can be achieved. Both leaders have assured me that they believe that they can finalise a deal," he said, as quoted by Reuters.

The UN has been trying for years to reunite Cyprus. The conflict has heavily affected EU-Turkey relations (see background).

So far, only one accession chapter (science and research) has provisionally been closed. Eleven more have been opened, but eight remain blocked over Turkey's failure to implement the Ankara Protocol, which opens ports in the Northern part of Cyprus to vessels from the Republic of Cyprus.

Recently Turkey said that it would 'freeze relations' with the EU if Nicosia is given the EU presidency in 2012.

The online edition of the Famagusta Gazette reports on the proposed January summit in rather skeptical terms, saying that such a meeting would be the fifth of its kind since 2008. Previous such meetings took place in Geneva.

"It now looks unlikely that both sides will resolve the outstanding issues in the next six months, before Cyprus takes up the EU Presidency," the independent English-language newspaper reported.

Many hurdles remain

According to sources quoted by Reuters, the two sides did not agree on how to elect a Cypriot president on a rotating basis, and there was no “substantive change in positions” on issues relating to the property rights of displaced persons and territorial adjustments to facilitate a federation.

But Turkish media said the two sides were able to reach an agreement on some other issues.

The daily Milliyet reported that Eroğlu and Christofias had agreed that a new, reunified Cypriot state would use the euro, although the Turkish lira, the valid currency in the Turkish north, would remain in use for a one-year transition period.

The presidency of the central bank of the new Cypriot state would rotate between Turkish and Greek Cypriots. And the impoverished Turkish side would receive funds from the federal state for 13 years to help resolve infrastructure problems.

The Turkish and Greek sides would be equally represented in all levels of the judiciary, but the Greek side would have the majority in the lower house of the Cypriot parliament, controlling 75% of the seats. However, the Turkish side was given guarantees that any bill deemed detrimental to their interests will not pass, Milliyet reported.

Accordingly, either of the two sides will be able to veto a specific bill when half of their lawmakers oppose it.

EurActiv with Reuters

http://www.euractiv.com/enlargement/un- ... ews-508696

[bill cobbett]

But Turkish media said the two sides were able to reach an agreement on some other issues.

The daily Milliyet reported that Eroğlu and Christofias had agreed that a new, reunified Cypriot state would use the euro, although the Turkish lira, the valid currency in the Turkish north, would remain in use for a one-year transition period.

The presidency of the central bank of the new Cypriot state would rotate between Turkish and Greek Cypriots. And the impoverished Turkish side would receive funds from the federal state for 13 years to help resolve infrastructure problems.

The Turkish and Greek sides would be equally represented in all levels of the judiciary, but the Greek side would have the majority in the lower house of the Cypriot parliament, controlling 75% of the seats. However, the Turkish side was given guarantees that any bill deemed detrimental to their interests will not pass, Milliyet reported.

Accordingly, either of the two sides will be able to veto a specific bill when half of their lawmakers oppose it.

Bey Halil ... again this is a repeat of claimed convergences as reported by Turkish Media .... It means nothing if you can't get confirmations from other sources.

[halil]

If there is no fire .....does not smoke

[bill cobbett]

If there is no fire .....does not smoke

We need more than smoke and mirrors reh!