Post by jj on Mar 6, 2006 8:32:44 GMT 1
Efforts by the United Nations to kick-start stalled peace talks on the divided island of Cyprus seemed to have backfired on Friday as Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities disagreed on the way forward.
Some progress appeared to have been achieved on Tuesday in Paris when Greek Cypriot leader Tassos Papadopoulos and U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan agreed on the groundwork for a possible resumption of peace negotiations.
The Greek Cypriot side judged the Annan meeting a triumph which opened the door for some of the big political issues to be resolved so a resumption of U.N.-sponsored negotiations would have a good chance of success.
However, Turkish Cypriots say they want negotiations to be based on a U.N. reunification plan, not through smaller working committees as proposed.
A U.N. statement released last week declared that leaders of both communities agreed that “bi-communal discussions” would take place on “a series of issues, agreement on which is needed for the benefit of all Cypriots.”
Moreover, Annan and Papadopoulos also agreed that it would “greatly improve the atmosphere for further talks” if progress could be achieved on “further disengagement of forces, demilitarization and the issue of Famagusta.”
The island has been described by the United Nations as the most “militarized place on the earth.”
The fenced-off ghost city of Famagusta is an U.N.-protected area in the Turkish-held north that was a predominantly Greek Cypriot town prior to 1974, the year when the Turkish military intervened on the island in 1974 under the terms of the 1960 Treaty of Guarantee since diplomacy had failed to end Turkish-Greek Cypriot clashes that were actually the main reason eventually leading to the island being split along ethnic lines.
But the mention of these thorny issues riled Turkish Cypriots, who argue that such matters must be part of a comprehensive deal and not the stuff of technical “bi-communal” committees that will discuss non-political issues such as waste management, crime prevention and money laundering.
“This is unacceptable for us. Discussing demilitarization and Famagusta are out of the question, this will only come when we sit down for [Cyprus] talks,” a spokeswoman for Turkish Cypriot President Mehmet Ali Talat told Agence France-Presse (AFP).
“Our priority is face-to-face negotiations without delay on the basis of the Annan [U.N. reunification] Plan,” she added.
Talat, 53, is currently hospitalized but in “good” condition after undergoing heart bypass surgery on Monday to fix a defective artery.
Turkish Cypriots also reject any suggestion that the proposed committees be construed as laying the groundwork for a solution, or be seen as a substitute for talks.
Greek Cypriot administration spokesman George Lillikas told reporters on Friday that the adverse Turkish Cypriot reaction was “unexpected.”
“We are disappointed to see the stand taken by a part of the Turkish Cypriot leadership which is negative and leads to a rejection of what was agreed,” said Lillikas.
“If there is no goodwill on the Turkish side there can be no progress,” he added.
U.N. officials in Nicosia told AFP that Annan's statement on technical committees and his “observations” on disengagement and Famagusta should not be confused, as they are “not linked.”
Peace efforts have been in limbo since Greek Cypriots rejected the latest U.N. peace plan in a 2004 referendum just days before joining the European Union. The Turkish Cypriot north overwhelmingly voted for the blueprint.
The internationally recognized Greek-Cypriot controlled south represents the whole island in Brussels. The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC) which unilaterally declared independence in 1983 is only recognized by Ankara.
Annan has postponed any new initiative saying he will only send a special envoy to Cyprus when the “time is ripe.”
Some progress appeared to have been achieved on Tuesday in Paris when Greek Cypriot leader Tassos Papadopoulos and U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan agreed on the groundwork for a possible resumption of peace negotiations.
The Greek Cypriot side judged the Annan meeting a triumph which opened the door for some of the big political issues to be resolved so a resumption of U.N.-sponsored negotiations would have a good chance of success.
However, Turkish Cypriots say they want negotiations to be based on a U.N. reunification plan, not through smaller working committees as proposed.
A U.N. statement released last week declared that leaders of both communities agreed that “bi-communal discussions” would take place on “a series of issues, agreement on which is needed for the benefit of all Cypriots.”
Moreover, Annan and Papadopoulos also agreed that it would “greatly improve the atmosphere for further talks” if progress could be achieved on “further disengagement of forces, demilitarization and the issue of Famagusta.”
The island has been described by the United Nations as the most “militarized place on the earth.”
The fenced-off ghost city of Famagusta is an U.N.-protected area in the Turkish-held north that was a predominantly Greek Cypriot town prior to 1974, the year when the Turkish military intervened on the island in 1974 under the terms of the 1960 Treaty of Guarantee since diplomacy had failed to end Turkish-Greek Cypriot clashes that were actually the main reason eventually leading to the island being split along ethnic lines.
But the mention of these thorny issues riled Turkish Cypriots, who argue that such matters must be part of a comprehensive deal and not the stuff of technical “bi-communal” committees that will discuss non-political issues such as waste management, crime prevention and money laundering.
“This is unacceptable for us. Discussing demilitarization and Famagusta are out of the question, this will only come when we sit down for [Cyprus] talks,” a spokeswoman for Turkish Cypriot President Mehmet Ali Talat told Agence France-Presse (AFP).
“Our priority is face-to-face negotiations without delay on the basis of the Annan [U.N. reunification] Plan,” she added.
Talat, 53, is currently hospitalized but in “good” condition after undergoing heart bypass surgery on Monday to fix a defective artery.
Turkish Cypriots also reject any suggestion that the proposed committees be construed as laying the groundwork for a solution, or be seen as a substitute for talks.
Greek Cypriot administration spokesman George Lillikas told reporters on Friday that the adverse Turkish Cypriot reaction was “unexpected.”
“We are disappointed to see the stand taken by a part of the Turkish Cypriot leadership which is negative and leads to a rejection of what was agreed,” said Lillikas.
“If there is no goodwill on the Turkish side there can be no progress,” he added.
U.N. officials in Nicosia told AFP that Annan's statement on technical committees and his “observations” on disengagement and Famagusta should not be confused, as they are “not linked.”
Peace efforts have been in limbo since Greek Cypriots rejected the latest U.N. peace plan in a 2004 referendum just days before joining the European Union. The Turkish Cypriot north overwhelmingly voted for the blueprint.
The internationally recognized Greek-Cypriot controlled south represents the whole island in Brussels. The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC) which unilaterally declared independence in 1983 is only recognized by Ankara.
Annan has postponed any new initiative saying he will only send a special envoy to Cyprus when the “time is ripe.”
