UN’s call implies ‘timeframe’ in Cyprus talks, expert suggests

“The Greek Cypriot side was not expecting any significant statement from the UN headquarters following the trilateral meeting in New York. On the contrary, a statement calling for a new trilateral meeting came within weeks and this statement was a clear message to the Greek Cypriot side concerning their unwillingness for a resolution,” Mehmet Hasgüler, an associate professor at the European University of Lefke, told Sunday’s Zaman.

During separate telephone conversations held in late October with Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged them to make concrete advances in their talks in order to maintain momentum in the peace process and invited the leaders to a tripartite meeting at the UN headquarters. The invitation alone was, at the time, considered a strong sign of his uneasiness over the slow pace of reunification talks on the divided island, which began in 2008 after the then-leaders of the two communities committed themselves to working towards a bi-communal, bi-zonal federation with political equality, as defined by relevant UN Security Council resolutions.

Eventually, following the Nov. 18 meeting in New York, Ban announced that Greek Cypriot leader Dimitris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Derviş Eroğlu agreed to step up contact to overcome obstacles in the quest to reunite their island, and that the three would meet for a new meeting in Geneva in January.

“In the meantime, the leaders will identify further convergences and the core issues which still need to be resolved across all chapters,” Ban said at the time.

Ban’s call meets the Turkish side’s demand for setting a timeframe in negotiations, Hasgüler said.

“Intensified negotiations will now start and the two leaders will draft points of reconciliation and disagreement. The leaders will then gather in Geneva, where some bold decisions will be made. As a matter of fact, all of these developments are a realization of what Mr. Eroğlu, as well as Turkish President Abdullah Gül, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu have been constantly telling the international community: The negotiations cannot go on forever,” Hasgüler said.

Diplomatic sources in the Turkish capital were, however, hesitant to make such an interpretation of Ban’s call.

“Rather than interpreting this call as setting a timeframe, it is possible to see the Geneva meeting as a chance to expose the Greek Cypriot side’s lack of political will for a solution,” the diplomatic sources told Sunday’s Zaman. “Another positive point about Ban’s call to Geneva is the fact that it has clearly displayed the UN chief’s commitment to be fully in charge and engaged in the process. However, only time will tell whether the call can be interpreted as an ultimatum,” the same sources, speaking under the customary condition of anonymity, noted.

Christofias’ uneasiness over the “timeframe” interpretation of the Geneva meeting -- which has been embraced by the Greek Cypriot media as well as Greek Cypriot opposition parties -- was obvious in remarks delivered at the Greek parliament this week.

“That he [Ban] invited us to Geneva after holding a number of meetings with Mr. Eroğlu does not mean a strict timeframe. It is not a timeframe, because we don’t have before us like in the bitter past any solution plan to respond yes or no to, and the UNSG [secretary-general] has no authority to proceed to arbitration,” Christofias was quoted as saying by the English-language online daily Cyprus Mail.

Ban’s remarks in a report to be presented to the UN Security Council on Tuesday further fueled the Greek Cypriot side’s concerns over a possible timeframe in negotiations as the UN chief stated that he expects leaders of the Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities to come up with a game plan to resolve outstanding problems when he meets with them at the end of January.

Although cautious about Ban’s call, Turkish diplomatic sources welcomed certain remarks in Ban’s report.

“As I have said many times, the talks cannot be an open-ended process. However, I fear a critical window of opportunity is rapidly closing,” Ban said in the report, in remarks which have been interpreted by Ankara as a message to the Greek Cypriot side concerning their lack of political will for a solution.