“Negotiations without syndromes of fear” by Stefanos Stefanou, member of the Political Bureau of AKEL
9th April 2015
Everyone states it: a solution cannot be achieved without negotiations. For that reason, the Greek Cypriot side must always seek the waging of substantial negotiations. Stagnation – as the forty-year experience of the Turkish occupation has demonstrated – suits Turkey, which is exploiting the passage of time to consolidate and perpetuate the occupation faits accomplis on the ground.
More than two years after the election of Mr. Anastasiades as President of the Republic of Cyprus, not only have substantive negotiations not taken place, but the differences between the two sides have grown. The President of the Republic’s much-vaunted policy for the start of negotiations from scratch and cross negotiation that would make Turkey accountable, has failed.
The unjust and unacceptable apportioning of responsibility on the Greek Cypriot side for the suspension of the negotiations due to the Turkish provocations is not irrelevant to the failure of the President’s policy. Unfortunately, the Greek Cypriot side has lost the political and moral advantage it had previously, resulting in even the UN Secretary-General equating Turkey’s illegal actions with the exercise of the Republic of Cyprus’ sovereign rights.
Set against this given situation, the President of the Republic wrongly put the issue of natural gas on the negotiation table, a fact which represents yet another negative development that must subsequently be addressed.
In view of the resumption of the negotiations, the President must abandon the games on tactics and for internal consumption purposes and act with composure and consistency. Confronted with the Turkish side’s machinations for a swift and hasty procedure leading to a four-partite conference within a few months, the President of the Republic must project the convergences between the two sides that were agreed during the Christofias administration. The convergences are very important and if we abandon them, it is likely that we will never recover them again. The Turkish side will either be forced to accept them, or its hypocrisy will be revealed and the responsibilities for a potential deadlock at the talks will be put on its shoulders.
It is imperative that our side prepares itself properly to negotiate the pending core issues, as it has indeed been agreed, with concrete positions that should be based on the principles of the solution, without fears, delays and suspensions. This is the only way we will restore the lost credibility and the international community will be convinced of our good will. Only then will we be ahead of the Turkish side and not allow it to pursue its communication game, as it has so far succeeded in doing by exploiting our side’s policy weaknesses and contradictions.
Note 1: H view expressed for the start of negotiations only when Turkey recognizes the Republic of Cyprus, simply leads to stagnation and deadlock. Turkey will never do so and no one is going to put pressure on Turley or impose sanctions for this. We have already pointed out that stagnation feeds partition, which is Turkey’s goal
Note 2: Of course there are also concerns about how the Turkish side, but also certain circles of the international community, will behave. Any machinations and scheming can be addressed at the negotiating table, when good planning and consistency on principles exist. The Turkish side’s intentions and policy will be judged at the negotiation table and not by its statements.
Note 3: The statements made by the UN Secretary-General’s Special Advisor on Cyprus Espen Barth Eide Come are, to say the least, counterproductive and damaging. At a time when an effort is underway to create an environment that will support the negotiations, Mr. Eide came to undermine it. The UN Secretary-General’s Special Adviser must assist the negotiations and not become a part of the problem.
