Cyprus leaders must now make decisive moves that will demonstrate that agreement is indeed within their grasp, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-mοon said in his assessment report on the status of the negotiations in Cyprus for the information of the members of the Security Council, stressing that “the time for an agreement is now.” The report was handed over unofficially on Monday to UN Security Council members and will be issued as an official document during the next days.
Ban noted that the two leaders, President Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu, “must focus their efforts on resolving the outstanding challenges. In particular, they must find a way to move beyond the existing deadlock on the election of the executive and advance more definitively on property and citizenship.”
“On property, while I understand that some aspects cannot be completely finalized until decisions are made on maps and figures relating to territory, it should be possible for both sides to agree now on a common understanding on property that is simple and clear, and contingent upon those decisions. I note with satisfaction that the sides have embarked on the exchange of data on property foreseen in my statement following the second meeting at Greentree,” he added.
“The time for an agreement is now,” he stressed, adding that “the domestic, regional and international context is constantly shifting. The current window of opportunity is not limitless and there is little to suggest that the future will bring more propitious circumstances for a settlement. The United Nations remains convinced that if the necessary political will could be mustered on both sides, a durable settlement could be achieved in the interests of all Cypriots”, Ban said expressing full confidence in the efforts of his Special Adviser Alexander Downer, and his team to support such an outcome.
A diplomatic source has described the report as “technocratic”, noting that the Secretary General keeps the door of the process open and continues to remind the leaders that the time for an agreement is now.
Referring to the status of the process of the ongoing direct negotiations, which began in September 2008, the UN Secretary General referred to developments as regards the meetings held between the leaders in Cyprus and between their representatives, as well as the meetings he had himself with the leaders.
He noted that at present, regarding the core issues, an impasse remains on the election of the executive. “On citizenship, the sides have accepted an approach whereby an agreed number of persons from both sides would become citizens of a united Cyprus with the entry into force of a comprehensive agreement. On the issue of property, negotiations have arrived at the stage where the sides are exchanging data, which should assist them in reaching a common understanding based on their separate proposals,” he said.
He noted that “it is clear to both sides that full agreement on property will ultimately depend on the resolution of the question of territorial adjustment. The two sides have agreed that maps and figures will only be discussed in the period leading up to the multilateral conference.”
Ban said that “another crucial issue that is still unresolved is precisely how a settlement would be incorporated into European Union law. Both sides have put forward proposals, which attempt to address some of the concerns of the other side. However, neither side to date has found the other’s proposals to be satisfactory.”
“On the chapter of security and guarantees, internal aspects have largely been agreed.
The external aspects of security can only be resolved in discussions with the guarantor powers, as signatories to the Treaties of Guarantee and Alliance,” he said.
Furthermore, he noted that “in this Cypriot-owned and Cypriot-led process, it is for the leaders to take the negotiations to a successful conclusion. Accordingly, I have reassured the leaders that the United Nations does not seek to impose solutions. At the same time, I have repeatedly expressed my point of view that the negotiations should not be open ended, as the longer the talks have been drawn out, the more disillusioned the public has become and the harder it has become to conclude agreements,” he stressed.
He added that “at this advanced stage of the negotiations, it is important to recall that, since the start of the process, a significant number of convergences have been reached across various key chapters of the negotiations. As a Cypriot-led process, these achievements are entirely Cypriot-owned.”
He noted that at the moment, however, on the core issues that remain to be agreed, the negotiations are close to deadlock. “Despite the leaders’ repeated commitments to intensify the negotiations and push for a conclusion as soon as possible, the fact that there has been such limited movement towards convergence on core issues in recent months is a matter of concern,” Ban said.
As he noted, “there is no doubt that the political environment in which the negotiations are currently taking place has become increasingly difficult. Nonetheless, it is incumbent upon the leaders to foster a more conducive atmosphere for the talks, by refraining from engaging in negative rhetoric about each other and the process and by preserving the confidentiality of the talks. In addition to preserving the integrity of the process, decisive action in this regard would also contribute to building public confidence in its viability which, at present, is low.”
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkish troops invaded and occupied 37% of its territory.