Columnists: The Turkish Cypriot side will be considered guilty for the interruption of the Cyprus talks; The UN is preparing to submit proposals
Writing in his daily column in Turkish Cypriot daily Yeni Duzen newspaper (24.02.12), journalist Sami Ozuslu reports that as he and the paper’s editor-in-chief Cenk Mutluyakali have found out from sources very close to a high ranking UN official, that the Cyprus negotiations process is about to be interrupted. According to Ozuslu, the United Nations and mainly UN Secretary-General’s Special Advisor on Cyprus Alexander Downer intent to close down their offices and abandon the island. Ozuslu goes on and writes, inter alia, the following:
“…We have heard that General Secretary Ban expresses around his intention never to come again to Cyprus. And the worst of all, we found out that the final countdown for this ‘bad end’ has started and that only five weeks are left. What will follow then is a complete cyclone! Especially for the Turkish Cypriots… The source that is close to the high ranking UN official says that ‘the Turkish side is about to be considered guilty’. Why? The response is open and clear: ‘Eroglu and Ozersay, instead of expressing views on the fundamental issues at the table, enter into details and drown the process with these details’.
With this, the job of Christofias on the other side becomes easier. Especially the statements as regards the ‘Taiwanization’ heard from Eroglu’s team and the visits of the committees for ‘keeping the TRNC alive’ which are intensified these days, continuously give positions to the other end of the negotiating table…
Whatever the reason is, the UN cannot interfere very much in the negotiations. Very well, will the UN silently turn a blind eye to this tragedy? When we asked this question the source which is close to the UN says some things which could be ‘a light of hope’. If the leaders make no surprise and behave positively during the forthcoming critical weeks, the UN is preparing to submit proposals to the sides. Actually, the original thought is for the two leaders to be able to achieve this and to produce a text, but they (the UN) do not see such a hope. In this situation, the UN is preparing to submit at the table two different ‘packages’ on the issues of ‘Governance and Power Sharing’ and the ‘Property’. If progress is achieved on these two packages, the package as regards the ‘Population and the Citizenship’ will follow…”
Writing on the same issue, Yeni Duzen’s editor-in-chief, Cenk Mutluyakali reports that this source talked to them at length about the talks and expressed the UN’s concerns. Under the title: “‘The process will collapse over the Turkish Cypriots’”, Mutluyakali writes that the team which carries out the negotiations for the Turkish Cypriots has no intention of “building peace” and that the community does not believe that “this team wants peace”. Mutluyakali summarizes what the source told them noting, inter alia, the following:
“- The Turkish Cypriot leadership is continuously drowning in the details. It delays the achievement of progress.
– The process has come to the point of collapse and the Turkish Cypriot leadership will have important responsibility for this.
– Very well, what will the UN do if the process collapses?
– Four choices are being considered:
1. The negotiations might continue in an aimless and unproductive manner.
2. The UN process will be postponed until the elections in the south are completed. However, this is not viewed very positively.
3. The UN will close its offices in Cyprus and will completely withdraw, except for its troops.
4. The UN Security Council will be consulted on the issue of what should be done from now on.
– However, in absolutely no situation, a new basis [for the talks] is possible over the recognition of the TRNC or the ‘Turkish Cypriot State’.
– Citizenship is not a problem. The Turkish Cypriot side brought to the table the number of 210 thousands. The Greek Cypriot side spoke about 630 thousands. There will be no problem.
– Issues such as the foreign relations, the House of Representatives could be overcome. The cross voting and even the property and the territory are not chapters which cannot be overcome, but the Turkish Cypriot side must look at the whole picture.
– The UN is preparing together with the sides two framework packages on the chapters of Governance and Property.
– If these packages are prepared, afterwards an international conference could be convened.
– At the end of the day, the territorial arrangement which will come up or the map will not include very serious differences comparing to the Annan Plan.
– The Turkish Cypriot side should refrain from causing big debates on small details and thus distance should be covered.
– If this process collapses, the UN will announce who are responsible. The Turkish Cypriots will be harmed
