Cyprus-Forum.com

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Did he like Denktash better?

[Piratis]

PRESIDENT Tassos Papadopoulos is ready to meet Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat, but under United Nations stewardship if talks to breathe life into the dormant settlement process are to have any real purpose.

"For a meeting to have any meaning, it must take place under the auspices of the United Nations with the aim of discussing the Cyprus problem," Papadopoulos told reporters.

But Papadopoulos warned anything less than formal talks under UN supervision would falsely inflate public expectations and would ultimately work against a resumption of peace talks.

Papadopoulos implied even a social call would possibly spring an insidious trap on the Greek Cypriot side by reviving an unchanged Annan plan and possibly furnish Turkey with an excuse to shirk its EU obligations as prescribed by its own entry talks with the bloc.

"A social meeting (would) unnecessarily create false impressions and expectations, and if it leads nowhere, the people would finally not only lose trust in their leaders, but in the entire negotiations process.

"These talks could be used as an excuse or justification by Turkey to avoid promptly fulfilling its obligations towards the EU," said Papadopoulos.

Papadopoulos’s remarks came after Turkish Cypriot politician Izzet Izcan disclosed the Cypriot president is ready to meet Talat under the UN flag.

Heart-to-heart

Papadopoulos met Izcan at his sprawling Deftera residence over coffee and tea for a two-hour heart-to-heart that revolved primarily around the prospect of resumed peace talks.

Emerging from the meeting, Izcan said Papadopoulos told him he was ready to meet Talat provided it was in a UN setting.

Izcan, a strong proponent of a swift return to the negotiating table, said he appreciated Papadopoulos’s cautious approach to renewed talks for fear another failure would ruin and chance at a settlement in the foreseeable future.

But the leader of the left-wing United Cyprus Party (BKP) made no secret of his belief that continually putting off talks could be equally costly.

"Cyprus cannot take another defeat, but Cyprus cannot also wait for ever because the danger of a permanent division exists more today than before," said Izcan.

The BKP leader dismissed suggestions Papadopoulos wanted so many changes to the Annan plan as to effectively kill it.
"These changes are not three hundred as somebody said, but only eleven," Izcan said.

The two men didn’t get into specifics over the desired changes on the UN blueprint, but Izcan said they concern the smooth functioning of a future federated state, its economic viability, the property quandary and security issues.

Preparation

"Now is the time to get back to the table, after a quick preparation and discuss these changes and work for a solution," said Izcan.

But the Turkish Cypriot politician appealed to both Nicosia and Talat to cease and desist from an ongoing war of words intended to demonise and vilify the other.

"This must stop immediately. Nobody has the right to insult someone else every day," said Izcan.

Talat stepped up his increasingly aggressive attacks against the Cypriot President of late, suggesting Papadopoulos is feigning a wish for reunification and calling Nicosia’s policy line "unethical".

Responding in kind, Government Spokesman Kypros Chrysostomides said former Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash – the man that Greek Cypriots have come to view as the embodiment of Turkish hardline separatist policy" was an "angel" compared with Talat.

That remark prompted a rare public rebuke from House Speaker and Akel Chief Demetris Christofias who took the opportunity at a Nicosia anti-occupation rally to wrist-slap Chrysostomides over conduct unbecoming.

"And something for our side. It’s at very least unfortunate that we respond Mr. Talat’s provocative verbal attacks by describing him as being worse than Denktash," said Christofias.

Heat of the moment

Chrysostomides later backtracked, saying that words are said in the heat of the moment that should be interpreted in the proper context.

"Surely, it’s difficult for anyone to conceive that there could be a worse politician the Rauf Denktash," said Chrysostomides.

The spokesman said he meant to say Talat belongs to the camp of Turkish political hardliners who insist on maintaining the division of the island.

And so as not to open a front with Christofias, Chrysostomides said he respects the House Speaker’s views regardless if he agrees with them or not.

Meanwhile, Chrysostomides said Papadopoulos’s meetings with Turkish Cypriot politicians would continue, but would not be trumpeted to the media beforehand.

"Our side cares about substance and pushing for settlement efforts, not about announcements and impressions," said Chrysostomides.

However, Turkish Cypriot politicians are free to disclose the meetings to the press if they so wish.

Opposition Disy leader Nicos Anastassiades took his cue from Chrysostomides’s defensiveness to take a dig at Papadopoulos over his reluctance to meet Talat.

Anastassiades said said Izcan – who enjoys scant support in the occupied north – is the only Turkish Cypriot politician Papadopoulos meets.

In the February 20 ‘parliamentary’ elections, Izcan’s alliance with Communal Liberation Party (TKP) leader Hussein Angolemnli only mustered 2.41% of the vote.

"What would be so annoying if Papadopoulos meets Talat after Talat brings it down a notch since his claims are unacceptable and incomprehensible," said Anastassiades.

"But on our part, we shouldn’t cultivate the notion that Rauf Denktash was our angel and Talat our demon."

The Disy leader said the war of words adds bricks and mortar to a "psychological barrier" between the two communities and scuppers Greek Cypriot efforts to make Turkish Cypriots understand their concerns.

[Bananiot]

Keep the blindfolds on piratis. AKEL had to reschedule the time table of ita Congress that starts today so that Papadopoulos will not have to even shake hands with Talat.

[Piratis]

Bananiot, I simply posted an article from Cyprus Weekly describing some facts without even expressing my own opinion!! Why the attack on me then?

Do you really think that shaking hands with Talad would help one bit? The decisions are taken by the deep state of Turkey my friend. Not Talad, not even Erdogan. Talad is just a worthless pawn that wouldn't be able to change anything even if he wanted to.

[Bananiot]

So now you are suggesting a meeting with the ... deep state!

[Kifeas]

Talat declared the GC all party Council and Papadopoullo’s positions on the Annan plan required changes, which were conveyed to the UN last May /June, to be a non-starter. It is clear that the only kind of negotiations that Talat wants to have on the failed Annan Plan are those which will produce exactly the same plan with some minor and cosmetic changes.

To this end, I find it very audacious to blame Papadopoullos for not meeting with Talat, while the later remains entrenched behind a plan that was overwhelmingly rejected by the GC side. A meeting to discuss what? To talk about their grandfathers’ vineyards and how they used to produce wine and zivania, or to bring back the same plan so that it is rejected by the GCs again?

[Kifeas]

So now you are suggesting a meeting with the ... deep state!

Is it not necessary for Papadopoullos to meet with the deep-state! The deep-sate will alone (and hopefully soon) realise that it is not in the interest of Turkey to have the Cyprus problem unresolved and will order Talat to forget about Turkey's "red lines," go, seat, negotiate and find a solution with the GCs, and not return back to them without an agreed solution in his hands. Then and Only then will Talat decide (will be compelled) to seat down and seriously negotiate without fear and passion!

[Bananiot]

As simple as that. Two and two makes four. Then we wake up but we do not live happily ever after ...

[Kifeas]

As simple as that. Two and two makes four. Then we wake up but we do not live happily ever after ...

Good! I am glad to see that you are making progress in getting the right figures, unlike before that you used to tell us that 2+2 makes zero!

And because I know what you are trying to say between the lines, the prime responsible and guilty for the negative climate among the TC community is no one else other than Talat and his company!

And some people from the Greek Cypriot side who feed the TCs with all kinds of rubbish regarding Papadopoullos and the GCs in general and their intentions and reasons for rejecting the plan. Do you happen to know someone of these GCs who are acting in this way? I Do!

[sadik]

Good! I am glad to see that you are making progress in getting the right figures, unlike before that you used to tell us that 2+2 makes zero!

And because I know what you are trying to say between the lines, the prime responsible and guilty for the negative climate among the TC community is no one else other than Talat and his company!

And some people from the Greek Cypriot side who feed the TCs with all kinds of rubbish regarding Papadopoullos and the GCs in general and their intentions and reasons for rejecting the plan. Do you happen to know someone of these GCs who are acting in this way? I Do!

Kifeas, I think you are exaggerating. The main reason for the negative climate amoung the TCs (which, in my view, is not as negative as the climate among GCs) is the shock of the resounding no -most people were not expecting it- and the perception of the general unaccepting behaviour of the GCs towards the TCs as summariezed by the sentence "they don't like us". The TCs do not have feelings of hatred towards the GCs, however, they are now less enthusiastic in their dealings with them. And I need to say that this was not imposed by Talat and is a collective perception. Under the circumstances, how good things could be, it's another topic for discussion. I think you are giving too much credit to Bananiot over his influence in TC politics