Cyprus talks at critical stage

08/06/2009

With the clock ticking, both sides face domestic political pressures as they attempt to tackle the thorniest issues in the negotiations process.

By Ayhan Simsek for Southeast European Times -- 08/06/09

President Demetris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat shake hands last year at the Ledra Palace hotel. [Getty Images]

Negotiations on the future of Cyprus are expected to enter a new phase this week, as the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leaders seek to hash out difficult territorial issues.

Cypriot President Demetris Christofias said discussions on territory would be raised Thursday (June 11th) during his meeting with Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat.

Both leaders, meanwhile, have been under dual pressure -- on the one hand, the need to seize the window of opportunity while it is still open, and, on the other, skepticism from hardliners who oppose making compromises on key points.

"These negotiations cannot go on forever," Talat said at a recent press conference, adding he aims to reach a deal by the end of the year and put it before voters in a referendum early in 2010.

Between him and that goal, however, stands the land issue. When Talat acknowledged last week that Turkish Cypriots may have to give up territory as part of a settlement plan, nationalists both in northern Cyprus and Turkey reacted sharply.

The right-wing dealt his moderate party a serious blow in the March parliamentary elections, so Talat must now cope with a weakened mandate and the possibility that the newly-elected government will oppose an agreement.

Meanwhile, the head of the island's Greek Orthodox community, Archbishop Chrysostomos II, has criticised Christofias for making too many concessions. Territory was one of the major stumbling blocks that eventually scuttled the "Annan plan" -- the last major drive towards reunification, in 2004. It failed when Greek Cypriots rejected the proposed solution at the polls, even as Turkish Cypriots gave the thumbs-up.

"All that is happening during the last period in the Cyprus issue recalls the time before the 2004 referendum," said Democratic Party (DIKO) spokesperson Fotis Fotiou.

European Party (EvroKo) Vice-President Stratos Panagidis voiced similar complaints. "The policy drawn from the first time he took over the presidency has brought the Greek Cyprus side towards the nightmare of filing a plan similar or worse than the Annan one," he said.

Prospects for the negotiations are intricately bound up with Turkey's hopes of EU accession. A deal would clear up one of the biggest obstacles in the EU process -- the impasse over opening Turkey's ports and airports to traffic from the Greek-run part of Cyprus.

Brussels has been pushing Ankara to make such a move, saying it is required under an existing customs agreement, and has said the membership process will be put on ice if no action is taken this year.

According to Talat, two upcoming dates will be crucial. In December, the EU will make a decision concerning the future of the accession talks with Turkey. And in April 2010, Turkish Cypriots will hold presidential elections.

Talat hopes for a second term in office. More than that, however, he would like to go down in history as the leader who resolved a decades-old problem and brought his constituents into the EU.

"I am optimistic for a solution. But whether we would reach to a settlement or not, this will be significant situation," he has said, leaving options open if the process fails.

Christos Ringas in Athens contributed to this report.