Cyprus-Forum.com

[joe]

Some Cypriots i talked to saw this coming a mile away. Similar with the Annan plan where Turkey's allies (Washington and London) applied a little pressure here and there…..which led to Turkey gaining its maximum demands and where by Cyprus rejected it outright which made us look like we were the ones who did NOT want a solution. It appears now that the ghost town of Varosha may not be part of the Finnish proposal after all. Will the government of RoC then support the proposal? Take a look at this article and see how Varosha, a town whos citizens have fled at gun point may have to wait a little bit longer to return.
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FM, St. Petersburg governor discuss cooperation

Greece's foreign minister Dora Bakoyannis, currently on a visit to Russia, met Thursday with St. Petersburg governor Valentina Matvienko and discussed developmental prospects and economic cooperation between the St. Petersburg periphery and Greece.

After the meeting, Bakoyannis told reporters that she discussed with Matvienko, "an exceptionally dynamic personality who is playing an important role in the Russian Federation", the developmental prospects and economic cooperation that could develop between the St. Petersburg periphery and Greece.

She said there was significant interest in a region that was developing at a very fast past, dynamically, and in which Greece has great investment and cooperation prospects.

"They see us with very friendly sentiments, just as we do them, and that is an area in which we can work together with very good results for the economies of both our countries," Bakoyannis said.

To a question on press reports purporting that the Finnish EU presidency was considering withdrawing the Varosha sector in Cyprus from the negotiating package with candidate Turkey, Bakoyannis replied: "If there is any truth to those press reports, then we must remember that the Finnish Preisdency is moving ahead and carrying on proposals that had originated during the Luxembourg EU presidency. From then to now, the issue of Varosha has never ceased to be an inalienable part of this package of ideas".

In other words, Bakoyannis warned, which a move would be "a concession which, of course, will lead the Presidency's effort to very great difficulties, if not to an impasse".

[cypezokyli]

dont forget that from what has reached the press, the finish didnot propose return of varoshia

[Piratis]

Proposals, Proposals. The Turks either will open their ports and airports to RoC as they singed they will without asking for anything in return, or they should forget about EU. Simple.

If they want to say that Cyprus blocked Turkey from joining the EU and this is what history books will write, no problem at all. It is perfectly natural for Cyprus to do so when Turkey is occupying 1/3rd of our country.

[joe]

As i have predicted yesterday.........

Greece in Varosha warning to Finns
By Jean Christou

GREECE warned yesterday that if the issue of Varosha was removed from the Finnish compromise to avoid a Turkey-EU crisis, the initiative could be derailed.

Although the Finnish proposal has not been publicised, and is said to be only verbal, it is believed to suggest that Varosha be handed to the UN for work to start so that it can be returned to Greek Cypriots at a future stage.

The Cyprus government, however, wants a fixed timetable for the return of the ghost town. It suggests 18 months. The government has also made it clear that if Varosha is not returned, there can be no deal on the Finnish proposal.

Yesterday, newspapers in Greece reported that after Turkish lobbying the Finns had dropped Varosha from the initiative.

Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyanni said that if the reports were correct, the whole plan would be at risk.

"The issue of Varosha has been an integral part of the package of ideas. It would mean a backdown, which would certainly lead the presidency's effort to great difficulties if not a dead end," she told reporters during a visit to Russia.

It was the first time Greece had made such a comment.

The Finnish initiative is designed to ease Turkey’s EU accession path. Ankara is obliged to open its ports and airports to Greek Cypriot traffic under the EU’s customs union protocol but is refusing to do so.

To avoid a clash with the bloc, the Finnish EU presidency is attempting to work out a compromise formula. The EU has imposed a December 6 deadline for an agreement.

The Finnish EU presidency declined to comment yesterday on whether the Greek reports were true, but Finnish ambassador to Cyprus Risto Piipponen said on Wednesday that there had been no changes to its proposal.

Government Spokesman Christodoulos Pashiardis told the Cyprus Mail yesterday that the Greek Cypriot side knew nothing about moves to drop Varosha from the Finnish initiative.

"We don't know if the Finnish Presidency has done what was reported in the Greek newspapers,” he said. “Mrs Bakoyianni was responding to information. It's not certain if the issue of Varosha has been removed from the initiative. But we fully agree with the statement of Mrs Bakoyianni that if Varosha has been removed, there is no chance for the Finnish initiative to succeed."

[humanist]

good night my friends and I hope as you sleep you will be thinking of a united cyprus

[joe]

The latest on the Finnish proposal from the Cyprus weekly.
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Clock ticking on Finnish proposal


By Menelaos Hadjicostis

As Finland works against the clock to avert an EU-Turkey crisis, Nicosia and Ankara are planning for a likely collapse as they jostle to avoid blame for wrecking last-ditch talks.

The ghost town of Varosha remains a stumbling block to securing a Finnish-brokered compromise deal to get Ankara to open its ports to Cypriot traffic as per its EU Customs Union obligations.

Ankara insists it won’t back down and cede Varosha – a key provision in the Finnish EU presidency’s draft proposals.

But Nicosia says anything short of Varosha’s return to its lawful inhabitants would be a deal-breaker.

Greece warned that dropping Varosha from the Finnish package would ruin chances at a breakthrough.

“The issue of Varosha has been an integral part of the package of ideas. It would mean a backdown, which would certainly lead the presidency’s effort to great difficulties if not a dead end,” she told reporters during a visit to Russia.

Bakoyianni was responding to Greek and Turkish media reports that Ankara’s lobbying had succeeded in persuading the Finns to remove Varosha from their package.

But Foreign Minister George Lillikas said he’s received cast-iron assurances that Varosha remains front and centre in the Finnish package.

“From the beginning, the key to any agreement for us was the return of Varosha residents to their homes. It is the beginning and the end,” Lillikas told reporters yesterday.

Trying to soften Ankara’s obstinate image, Turkey’s chief EU negotiator said yesterday Ankara would not walk away from Finnish-led talks.

“The Finnish Presidency is exploring some ideas…we know it’s difficult,” Ali Babacan told a World Economic Forum in Istanbul. “We will not be the ones walking away from discussions, we are there to talk.”

Babacan’s remarks aimed at setting up Nicosia to take blame for a breakdown in talks.

Both sides are digging in their heels ahead of next week’s meeting of EU and Mediterranean foreign ministers in Finland.

The meeting furnishes the Finns with a last-ditch opportunity to broker a deal days shy of a Dec. 6 EU deadline for Turkey to open its ports to Cypriot traffic.

Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul will attend the meeting, but Lillikas said his attendance depends on whether Finns make headway in convincing the Turks to accept the Varosha hand-over.

“Whether I’ll go or not will depend on developments that may or may not occur in the next few days,” said Lillikas.

“We have worked very closely with the Finnish presidency, we have submitted very constructive ideas to ease the whole process and to produce results. If the Finnish presidency considers that there’s a need to continue negotiations, we have never refused and we’re always positive.”

Famagusta

The Finnish proposals also foresee the opening of the Turkish-held port of Famagusta under EU supervision, but don’t include Turkish demands to open the illegal Tymbou airport to international air traffic.

Finnish Ambassador to Cyprus Riisto Piipponen said his government isn’t ready to give up and would continue to work until the very last minute to clinch a breakthrough.

''We have continuous contacts with the parties in the hope that all of them will understand that this proposal we prepared is benefiting everyone,” Piiponen told reporters.

“It is clearly a win-win situation and not accepting it might mean that instead of being in a win-win situation the parties would find themselves in a lose-lose situation.”

Yet Finland’s Finnish never-say-die attitude is undercut by a constant stream of negative rhetoric.

Gul described the Dec. 6 deadline as blackmail, while Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Namik Tan said Ankara would not allow anyone to dictate terms.

With negotiations sputtering, eyes now turn to mid-December’s EU summit where bloc leaders will decide what penalties they would mete out to Turkey if it fails to open its ports.

Diplomats have thus shifted their attention on how severe the censures would be without completely derailing Turkey’s EU bid as that would be to no one’s benefit.

Pro-Turkish EU members want a mild wrist slap in the form of a suspension of negotiations on a few chapters that deal directly with the Customs protocol.

Moreover, they want to muzzle Cyprus from further impeding accession talks.

Piipponen it’s too early to say what form those penalties would take and how harsh they would be as they’re still subject to EU bargaining.

The diplomat dismissed suggestions Finland has come under third party pressure to adopt a softly-softly approach with Turkey.

“We haven’t felt any pressure. On the contrary, we have received support from all our EU partners,” said Piipponen.