Cyprus-Forum.com

[joe]

Time for UN to take the initiative


Time for UN to take the initiative on Cyprus– Finnish Ambassador

By Menelaos Hadjicostis
The European Union had its chance to nudge the Cyprus peace process forwards with the Finnish-led drive to get Turkey to open its ports to Cypriot traffic but was stumped.

Now it’s time for the United Nations to retake the initiative and launch fresh Cyprus settlement negotiations as talks on substance always supersede wrangling over the mechanics of a solution, Finland’s Ambassador to Cyprus said.

In an exclusive interview with The Cyprus Weekly, Risto Piipponen proclaimed the expiry of the outgoing Finnish EU presidency’s initiative with little or no chance that any succeeding presidency would again pick up the mantle with a reworked package.

"I cannot speak on behalf of forthcoming presidencies, but after having spent so much time and energy on our own proposal – which was described by many as the least impossible proposal on the table for some time – and having received full support from our EU partners, I would say that the task to find an alternative model which would produce an agreement for me doesn’t look very easy.

Progress

"To be honest, at this moment, and I do not in any way predict what future presidencies will be doing, but perhaps to now have some progress and I would say some hope of rapid progress, that it would be useful for the parties to invest in UN efforts."

Piipponen said the EU now reverts back to a support role in a hoped-for, re-invigorated UN drive for substantial negotiations aiming at an overall Cyprus settlement.

Underscoring the cleave between the EU and UN roles over Cyprus, the Finnish diplomat acknowledged the UN’s primacy in leading settlement efforts and spoke of two parallel, but distinct processes that are not intended to act as a crutch for one another in case one falters.

"The UN is there to facilitate the parties to find a comprehensive settlement. The EU was tackling EU-related issues and of course in an ideal situation you would have progress in both. But as I said, at the moment it doesn’t seem very easy to make progress in the EU related issues so definitely to have some progress, the two sides have to take the UN efforts seriously," said Piipponen.

"These two processes are completely different and one doesn’t replace the other. The main issue is to find a solution to the Cyprus issue and that belongs clearly to the UN. No one is denying that. The EU cannot take responsibility for this work. The EU can work and has been working to solve some EU-related questions and that’s all."

Strong

However, the EU would continue to have a strong say in how a settlement is shaped. Piipponen underscored the EU’s vetting function to ensure a solution conforms to the bloc’s laws and regulations.

"We can express our full support to the process to encourage the parties to take this process seriously and to work hard to allow reunification negotiations to start and of course when the negotiations start, it is of course a UN process, but any solution that will be achieved will need to be compatible to the EU legislation as well. I trust that there will be a need for technical assistance by the Union to the United Nations and to his process."

Piipponen’s call for a resurgent UN effort cannot be construed as a sign of European weariness or fatigue over Cyprus. Nor can it be seen as an endorsement of persistent Turkish calls not to take Cyprus settlement process from UN hands and place it into the EU’s lap.

That’s because no one was keener to reach agreement on the proposal than its authors, as it would have augured well for overall Cyprus settlement efforts.

"Acceptance of the Finnish proposal would of course have made things easier for Turkey and it would also have been an important step forward as regards the future of Cyprus. We think that (acceptance) could have had a positive effect on the relaunching of the reunification process," said Piipponen.

The implication of a switch back to a UN-led process is that it would forestall Turkish foot-dragging in settlement efforts.

Talks under the UN rubric proceeding separately but in tandem with Turkey’s EU entry negotiations would nullify Ankara’s arguments that it’s under no obligation to budge on Cyprus before its accession process is completed – something not envisaged for a least a decade.

That doesn’t preclude the possibility of one process crossing the path of the other as trouble in one could have a spillover effect in the other.

Although Piipponen would neither disclose the reasons for the Finnish initiative’s failure nor apportion blame, Ankara’s steadfast refusal to hand Varosha back to its lawful citizens – the linchpin to the proposal – scuttled any deal.

Evidenced

That’s evidenced by a constant stream of rhetoric out of Ankara – from Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan on down – that had perhaps doomed the Finnish initiative right from the start.

Piipponen said the Finnish EU presidency invested five months into its initiative starting from the July 8th UN-brokered agreement to begin technical talks paving the way for an eventual return to full-fledged reunification talks.

The idea was that the two complementary processes would proceed in parallel. However, technical talks were shelved as both sides waited to see the outcome of the EU effort.

"The ideal situation would have been that the work under the auspices of the UN could have started at the end of last summer and we would have made progress on the EU-related issues," said Piipponen.

With the EU effort now at an end and technical talks still to get off the ground, a Piipponen delivered a scattershot scolding in hopes of affecting an attitude change among strident spoilers.

"I think this situation where the international community has waited for five months for discussions under UN auspices to start, where the EU presidency has used five months to assist the parties to find an agreement on the EU-related issues without success, shows that perhaps a change in attitude would be necessary," said Piipponen.

"By that I mean that the parties should clearly show sufficient amount of political will to tackle the substance instead of discussing the form. Discussing the form doesn’t lead to any progress. What is important is the substance and really looking forward with a clear objective of having Cyprus reunified."

Regressive

The Finnish diplomat was highly critical of a regressive mindset consumed by counter-productive finger-pointing.

"I think too much time has been used to try to make the past better and we won’t win anything by trying to do that. People, instead of looking forward, are looking backwards. Blaming someone else for developments that have already taken place and I don’t find that very useful. Concentrating on the past instead of concentrating on the future you will not achieve anything," said Piipponen.

"What is extremely important, as the two leaders have already agreed in July, is that there should be an end to the blame game. I cannot understand how the blame game could have any positive effects on any process."

Despite this, Piipponen said "disappointment" isn’t the word that adequately describes the Finnish EU Presidency’s sentiments over their initiative’s failure.

That’s because they knew from the start the proposal was a 50/50 proposition.

"As our Foreign Minister stated in Tampere, the parties had some red lines and unfortunately, it was not possible for those red lines to meet in such a way for the parties to conclude an agreement," he said.

Piipponen would not say what those red lines were, but pointed to repeated statements made in public by Turkish officials demanding the opening of closed Tymbou airport to international air traffic.

He said the Finnish EU Presidency’s surprise announcement on Monday declaring the initiative dead before a stated December 6 deadline was necessitated by circumstance that made it pointless to carry on.

Head start

"The situation was such that having given some more days for discussions would not have led to anything else. It wouldn’t not have been useful to continue."

Piipponen said instead, Finnish officials deemed it prudent to wrap up talks early to give EU member states a week’s head start on formulating a common position over what consequences Turkey should face for refusing to abide by its obligation under its EU Customs Union protocol to open its ports to Cypriot traffic.

He confirmed EU member countries are divided into different camps as to how far-reaching those censures against Turkey should be.

However, Piipponen suggested that Finland endorses the European Commission’s freezing of eight chapters relating to Turkey’s Custom Union protocol.

"Our impression is that there are some differences regarding the approach that should be adopted. We will see how the discussions go," said Piipponen.

"I think the commission is positioning itself somewhere in between and therefore I think this provides a good basis the work but I don’t mean to predict in any way what the outcome will be. That will depend on the consultations we will have with all the other member states."

The overriding concern said Piipponen is that a strong message to Turkey that it has to play by EU rules must be moderated sufficiently so as not to halt accession talks completely – a scenario he said no one wants to see.

"We have to take a decision that sends a clear message to Turkey, but a decision that at the same time allows Turkey’s negotiations to continue.

"We have to be serious when we say that it would be in no one’s interest to have Turkey’s accession negotiations interrupted."

Piipponen said Nicosia shares the view that Turkey’s EU entry talks should continue.

"I think the Cypriot government has clearly said that Cyprus doesn’t want the negotiations to be interrupted," he said.

All that remains is to follow through with consultations with other EU members to arrive at a common position in Turkey by the December 11 EU General Affairs Council.

That’s before EU leaders meet for a summit meeting that no one wants to see encumbered by bickering over Turkey’s penalties.

"I think there’s a vision which is clear. Turkey as a full member of the European Union. This will not take place in the very near future, it will require years, but I think the vision is there," said Piipponen.

[Klik]

Whenever it happens, embassies should be placed at both countries. A Turkish embassy will not last a week in Cyprus and a Cypriot embassy will not last an hour in Turkey... There's no solution between Cypriots and Turks. And that's possibly a reason why Turkey will never join the EU with Cyprus as a member...

[stuballstu]

Why is it "time for the UN to take the initiative"?

Isn't it about time Cypriots done that?

Usual Cypriots.......lets find other to blame rather than try to fix it ourselves!!!!

[growuptcs]

stuballstu, how can we fix the problem ourselves when one side claims that there is no problem? Turkey wants to scrap 200,000 refugees homes at the REAL Cypriot government's expense. There is no middle ground to that, no matter how many more decades Turkey holds a cold shoulder.

[stuballstu]

Sorry growuptcs that doesn't wash. There are many things your government could have done and could do. How about inviting Talat to take his place in the parliament as leader of the TC's for a start? just one example.

I'm sorry though but Cypriot mentality is to "piss the bed and blame the blanket"