How the Turkish Cypriot press covers the developments at the New York summitTurkish Cypriot daily Kibris (25.01.12) reports that the second meeting of the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon with President Christofias and the Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu was held yesterday at the Greentree in New York with the aim of overcoming the differences in the ongoing negotiations for finding a solution to the Cyprus problem. Statements regarding the long-lasting meeting which ended last night (01.00 a.m. Cyprus time) are expected today. Eroglu is expected to make statements around 17.30 (Cyprus time) at the Turk Evi, which is located opposite the UN headquarters in New York.
Responding to questions yesterday in the end of the first day of the tripartite summit, Eroglu’s spokesman, Osman Ertug denied the allegations that the second meeting at the Greetree was held in a “colder” climate comparing to the first one. “We consider the climate as normal, it is how it should be”, he said. Ertug reiterated the Turkish view that “this issue should be led somewhere within this process until the Greek Cypriot side [as he described the Republic of Cyprus] overtakes the EU term presidency on 1 July”. Ertug noted that both during the first tripartite meeting held at the Greentree between 30 and 31 October 2011 and during the second one, efforts are exerted for achieving convergences on the core issues.
Asked whether the statement made by the USA prior to the Greentree meeting was a pressure in the direction of a solution, Ertug recalled that this is a UN process within the framework of the UN Secretary-General’s good offices mission and added that the USA said it supports this process. “Similar statements were also made by the EU”, he pointed out.
The paper publishes also statements made yesterday by Alexander Downer, UN Secretary-General’s special advisor in Cyprus, who said that the target should be to achieve a solution in Cyprus before “south Cyprus” [as the Republic of Cyprus is described] overtakes the EU term presidency. He noted that the meeting yesterday lasted six hours and added that the leaders discussed the presidency in the federal state, the property and the citizenship. He said the meetings were intensive and that many new ideas were put onto the table.
Turkish Cypriot daily Volkan (25.01.12) publishes Ertug’s statements under the title “We are in favour of a multilateral meeting in which the guarantors will participate”. Responding to a question, Ertug argued that the Greek Cypriot side puts some preconditions for going to a multilateral conference and said that the position of the Turkish Cypriot side is that it would not be beneficial to put preconditions in the process. Responding to another question, he alleged that the rotating presidency is one of the UN parameters for the solution in Cyprus and it is not a new element. He said that the issue of the so-called isolation of the Turkish Cypriots comes onto the agenda from time to time and added that the uncertainty and the isolation in which the Turkish Cypriots live show the necessity of solving the problem as soon as possible. Asked whether he is hopeful, he noted that they would not go to the negotiations if there were not hopeful.
Turkish Cypriot daily Havadis (25.01.12) covers the developments under the front-page title “Proposals’ crisis in New York” and reports that a crisis marked the second day of the Greentree summit. Journalist Mete Tumerkan, who covers the summit in New York on behalf of Havadis, argues that the Greek Cypriot side refrained from putting proposals onto the table and there was no reaction to the proposals of the Turkish Cypriot side. As a result of this tension the meeting of the UN Secretary-General with the leaders lasted longer, claims the paper adding that the Greek Cypriot side asked from Eroglu assurance that at least 100 thousand Greek Cypriot refugees will return to their homes. According to the paper, Eroglu said that concrete steps could be taken only on the principle of reciprocity.
Citing sources close to the UN, Tumerkan reports that in the statement, which Ban Ki-moon will make later today, he is not expected to say that the process failed. Even though such a possibility exists, the bad scenario is not on the agenda right now, the sources underlined, adding that after thanking the sides for their fruitful efforts, the UN Secretary-General might announce the date of a multilateral conference which is one of the elements of the last stage of the process. The same sources said that another possibility is the UN Secretary-General to assign new targets for the sides and send them to Cyprus to continue their comprehensive negotiations for a little longer. In such a situation, the sources added, an invitation for a sixth summit as well as a call for a multilateral conference might be made.
Tumerkan writes that tension was created from time to time in the summit and the UN officials exerted intensive efforts to take the process forward. Sources close to the UN told Havadis that there was no possibility for the process to be interrupted at this stage and that the sides are not in the position of being able to say “no” to a proposal by the UN for a multilateral conference.
Other newspapers cover the issue under the following titles:
Star Kibris: New York focused on 1 July!
Vatan: The results of the summit will be announced today
Halkin Sesi: Intensive tempo in the summit
