What is needed is a simple and straightforward statement that the President is ready to proceed in the way the UNSG asks

Statement by Stefanos Stefanou, AKEL C.C. Spokesperson

AKEL C.C. Press Office, 5 May 2018, Nicosia

After the Crans Montana conference breakdown, the United Nations Secretary-General in the Report he submitted to the UN Security Council, called for meaningful talks, also defining precisely how he perceives them: The continuation of the procedure from where it had remained, the negotiation of the six key issues as a package with the aim of reaching a strategic understanding, and if that is achieved, the discussion of the remaining issues.

Until recently, none of the two leaders seemed willing to proceed in this way, given that both of them in reality were setting various terms and preconditions. With his recent statement, Mr. Akinci in essence accepted what the UN Secretary-General called for. President Anastasiades must do exactly the same. What is needed is a simple and straightforward statement that he is ready to proceed in the way the UN Secretary-General is calling for. Everything else will be clarified at the negotiating table. Besides, the most competent person to interpret the framework – which is only one, not two – is the one who submitted it, that is to say the UNSG Mr. Guterres. We have no doubt that he will ask for what he explicitly demanded at the conference, including the termination of the guarantees and intervention rights from day one and the speedy withdrawal of the occupying troops.

If the Turkish Cypriot leader does not mean what he says or if Turkey does not cooperate, they will be the ones who will have the problem. On the other hand, if the President will continue not giving a simple and straightforward answer, the negotiation procedure will not resume, and he will be assigned the sole responsibility.

Of course no one is expecting substantial developments before the elections in Turkey. However, this doesn’t mean that time has to remain unused until then. We hope that the visit of the envoy of the UN Secretary-General will take place as soon as possible, precisely to explore the ground for the resumption of the talks.