Cyprus FM: Greek Cypriot side attends direct talks with good will

Cyprus Foreign Minister Markos Kyprianou has said that the Greek Cypriot side is proceeding to direct talks on September 3 with good will to help reach a political settlement and hopes that the Turkish Cypriot side will reciprocate. In an interview with CNA, Kyprianou noted that the international community can play an important and supportive role to the whole process “without any interventions or pressure on the interlocutors.” Furthermore he said that the international community “can and has the responsibility to encourage, if not press Turkey, to contribute positively and constructively to the settlement in the Cyprus question.”
His remarks come two days before the start of direct negotiations between President Demetris Christofias and the leader of the Turkish Cypriot community Mehmet Ali Talat, under UN auspices. The objective is to find an agreed solution which will reunite the country, divided since the 1974 Turkish invasion.
Kyprianou believes that the fundamental positions of the Greek Cypriot side – the protection and implementation of human rights for all citizens, securing the unity of the state and its smooth functioning – which promote the interests of both sides will be supported by the Turkish Cypriots as well.
“On issues in which there is a different approach, the necessary good will must be shown to achieve an agreement,” he pointed out.
With regard to the role of the EU in the new process, the Foreign Minister noted that
Brussels has “a significant influence” on the process, in spite of the fact that talks are taking place under UN auspices.
“Any settlement must be in line with the acquis communautaire and technical and political support of the EU will be important towards this direction,” he added.
The UN role, he added, will be to facilitate the interlocutors “and certainly not to intervene in the negotiation or act as an arbitrator.”
On the agenda of the talks, the Minister said that “there are no easy issues”, adding that all aspects of the Cyprus question are important and equally complicated. “Some have a particular importance and special difficulties, especially because of the importance given to them by Turkey,” he added.
He said that in some issues there was more progress achieved at the team of experts, which have been meeting in the past few months, to prepare the ground for Wednesday’s talks.
This, he explained, has facilitated the work of the two leaders, noting also that some issues have not even been discussed by the experts because the Turkish Cypriot side insisted on dealing with them at the direct talks.
On the procedure of the talks, Kyprianou said this will be sorted out on September 3. He explained that regular meetings between President Christofias and Talat will take place, but not on a daily basis, in parallel with the work of the Working Groups which will deal with issues referred to them by the two leaders.
Earlier this year, the two community leaders set up bicommunal teams of experts – seven technical committees and six working groups – to prepare the ground for substantive negotiations, through discussions on day to day concerns as well as substantive issues, including governance, EU matters, the economy, health and environmental issues, property and territory.
With regard to the diplomatic representation of Cyprus abroad, the Foreign Minister said that the EU countries and the countries that have a special political and financial significance for Cyprus have priority in terms of diplomatic presence there.
Asked if Nicosia will open an embassy in Cuba, Kyprianou said that Cyprus has had diplomatic relations with Cuba for decades and will not be the first EU country to open an embassy in Havana as many EU member states already have an embassy there.
Referring the Organisation of Islamic Conference, Kyprianou said there are continuous efforts to iron out some problems with the OIC, an organization in which Turkey is very active and Cyprus is absent.
On July 25 Christofias and Talat decided to start full-fledged negotiations on September 3, with the aim to reach a ''mutually accepted solution to the Cyprus problem which will safeguard the fundamental and legitimate rights and interests of Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots''.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third.