Longest Night in New York
Güncelleme Tarihi:
The Greek Cypriot side responded to the offers of Turkish Cypriot President Rauf Denktas with new demands, in the third round of the Cyprus talks on Thursday in New York. Greek Cyprus demanded that, EU and UN Security Council should also be included in the process and that the Annan Plan should not be a reference point for the negotiations, rather, it should be “the basis.”
The Greek and Turkish parties also joined the talks, at the last minute. CNN Turk channel reported this morning that talks are still under way in four separate rooms.
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan met negotiation delegations under Greek Cypriot Leader Tasos Papadopulos and Turkish Cypriot President Rauf Denktas in separate rooms first. Then the tripartite negotiations started. As a harsh bargain started, the parties were taken to separate rooms once again. Therefore the third day of the Cyprus negotiations in New York started with a shuttle diplomacy conducted by UN officials.
Needle In the Barn
The talks should have started at 22.00 o’clock with Turkey time. However tripartite talks started at about 00.10. Just before the tripartite talks and when journalists asked why the talks are taking place that late, Denktas said, “Greek Cypriots are looking for a needle in a barn.”
Delegations Are Kept At Rooms
Turkish and Greek Cypriots and Turkish and Greek missions are kept in four separate rooms in the 38th floor of the UN building. UN officials are contacting these four missions by going from one room to another. Contacting journalists through cellular phones, diplomats said that they could not talk with other missions and they were in a sense, isolated. Meanwhile, UN Deputy Secretary General Kieran Prendergast said; We will not let them go until we get a result. Diplomacy takes time.
Gaped
Following the talks on the second day in New York, when the Turkish Cypriot side put forward its three-stage negotiation offer, UN sources stated that they gaped. According to them, it was a very important diplomatic initiative that would make the process gain momentum.
Turkish Cypriot President Rauf Denktas said that Turkey prepared the proposal, which was a good one. Denktas said that it made the guarantor states take responsibility as well.