Negotiations must be based in good will and principles
Statement of Toumazos Tsielepis, Head of the Cyprus Office of AKEL
AKEL C.C. Press Office, 7th April 2015, Nicosia
In his statement today, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Advisor on Cyprus Espen Barth Eide confirmed what was anticipated, namely that barring exceptional circumstances negotiations on the Cyprus problem will resume after the electoral process in the occupied territories.
The negotiations between the two communities within the UN framework and under the auspices of the UN Secretary-General constitute the only available way to solve the Cyprus problem. For that reason, with the end of the Turkish NAVTEX and departure of the Turkish vessel “Barbaros” from the Exclusive Economic Zone of the Republic of Cyprus, AKEL could not have disagreed with the resumption of the talks. We recall in that respect our position that the suspension of the negotiation procedure did not amount to an end to the talks.
It is absolutely certain that the Turkish Cypriot side will exert pressure for a swift process to lead to a four-partite conference within a few months. Our answer to this unrealistic and propaganda tactic should not be the syndrome of fears but rather to convey the clear message that we, first and foremost, are the ones seeking a solution as soon as possible. We stress that a representative, multilateral international conference will have a meaning and result only when we have previously arrived within range of an agreement on the internal aspects of the Cyprus problem. Consequently, if the Turkish Cypriot side and Turkey mean what they say about a speedy solution, they have only to accept in practice the important convergences registered in the relevant Downer document and for the talks to continue from where they had left off. It is contradictory for the Turkish Cypriot side to claim that it is seeking a solution within a few months, but at the same time to undermine all the important things that had been achieved and to bring back unacceptable positions that are clashing head-on with the convergences agreed.
We urge the President of the Republic to draw lessons from the negative experience over the two year period, which is judged by its results so far, and to proceed with prudence, determination and confidence. A proper preparation is imperative aiming to enter to the negotiations fully ready for a serious discussion on the key pending issues, as indeed it had been agreed, and not for waging a negotiation from scratch. We must move forward not with rambling analyses but with negotiating positions that will be based on principles while simultaneously demonstrating our good will for a solution.
We reiterate for the umpteenth time that AKEL sets above all the cause of the solution of the Cyprus problem, based on the principles of International and European law, the relevant UN resolutions and the High-Level Agreements. Within this framework, we will support the negotiation procedure, without any intention whatsoever of revanchist, petty-party or petty-political approaches.
