No agreement was reached on Thursday between the President of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades and the Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu on the issue of confidence building measures (CBM) and methodology.
According to reliable sources, today`s meeting, in the framework of the UN-led talks for a comprehensive solution to the Cyprus problem, was “difficult”, with the leaders relegating the issues under discussion to their negotiators.
Andreas Mavroyiannis and Kudret Ozersay, negotiators of the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot side respectively, will meet again on August 26, while the two leaders will meet a week later, on September 2.
According to the same sources, the President of Cyprus expressed during the meeting his readiness to reach an agreement on CBMs, the Turkish Cypriot side, however, did not seem ready to accept Greek Cypriot proposals.
President Anastasiades seems to have accepted the opening of a checkpoint in the Turkish-occupied village of Lefka, in the Nicosia District, while insisting at the same time to open a checkpoint in Athienou, in Larnaca District. Eroglu replied that this would be difficult and the discussion will be continued among negotiators.
Furthermore, sources say that both sides completed the submission of proposals on all issues related to the Cyprus problem. The Greek Cypriot side has presented 17 documents in total, while the Turkish Cypriot side 15 documents, covering all important issues. It is noted that while Turkish Cypriot positions, recorded in these documents, are not deemed satisfactory, it is positive that the submission of proposals has been completed.
Moreover, Eroglu seems to have said in today`s meeting that the second phase of talks has been completed and the third stage is about to commence, referring to the “give and take” process.
President Anastasiades replied to the Turkish Cypriot leader that a common basis for discussion needs to be agreed first and reiterated his proposal for the discussion to start with the preparation of a list by each side, containing convergences and divergences.
He proposed, furthermore, the two documents to be ready for comparison by September, with negotiators meeting twice a week in the meantime.
The President of Cyprus also seems to have expressed his readiness, the two leaders to meet more than twice a month, in order to achieve progress.
He also proposed to record convergences reached by the two leaders since agreeing to the joint communique, last February, with Eroglu dismissing the proposal.
The Turkish Cypriot leader did not seem to favor Greek Cypriot proposals either, to conduct more meetings in July 31 and August 1.
No common statement on missing persons
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Prior to the meeting, the two leaders visited the anthropological laboratory of the Committee on Missing Persons and despite effort to have a common statement by the two leaders, Eroglu was negative.
Same sources say that President Anastasiades and the third member of the CMP Paul Henri Arni tried to persuade for the need of such statement, making reference to the importance of providing information on missing persons, granting access to all military archives containing such information and to allowing the CMP to work in military zones.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkish troops invaded and occupied its northern third.