UN urges progress in Cyprus process
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Daily News with wires
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Mayıs 02, 2009 00:00
ISTANBUL - UN Security Council urges the leaders of the two communities in Cyprus to accelerate their negotiations. "I'm cautiously optimistic that this process can succeed," says UN Secretary General’s special advisor, Alexander Downer
The U.N. Security Council on Thursday strongly urged Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leaders to accelerate their negotiations in order to reach a comprehensive settlement based on a bicommunal federation with political equality.
The council said it "looks forward to decisive progress in the negotiations in the near future," a statement it issued after a briefing by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's special adviser on Cyprus, Alexander Downer. "I'm cautiously optimistic that this process can succeed," Downer said.
Referring to the talks between Turkish Cypriot President Mehmet Ali Talat and Greek Cypriot President Demetris Christofias, the statement noted that the two leaders have held 26 meetings on the subject since September and warmly welcomed "the progress made so far."
According to Downer, it is important that all parties support the negotiations, "because the alternative is a dark future for Cyprus."
"I'm cautiously optimistic that this process can succeed," he said, noting that Christofias and Talat, both moderate leftists, are longtime good friends and that "there's an expectation that they'll be able to make it this time." He stressed, however, that the two sides must comprise, with neither adopting a "winner-takes-all" attitude.
Britain's U.N. ambassador, John Sawers, said the council hopes the leaders "will seize the opportunity" to make progress with Downer's assistance. "We see a real opportunity to bring peace and a comprehensive settlement to Cyprus, which will hugely benefit both communities on the island," Sawers said.
Gap widening
"This should not be an indefinite exercise until the right solution is found, because we feel that the gap between the two peoples is widening as the years pass," said Baki Ilkin, Turkey's U.N. ambassador and a council member. "It's up to the leaders to determine when to come to terms, but [it should be] sooner rather than later."
Once part of the Ottoman Empire, the island of Cyprus formally became a British colony at the end of World War I, with Turkey relinquishing its sovereignty in 1923. In 1960, Cyprus became an independent republic under an accord that also made Turkey, Greece and the United Kingdom guarantors of that status. After repeated outbreaks of inter-communal violence between members of the Greek and Turkish populations, the military government of Greece launched a coup in 1974, seeking to annex the island. After a failed bid for U.K. forces to repel the coup, Turkey intervened. The division of the island that resulted has remained to this day.
In a 2004 referendum, Turkish Cyprus accepted a European Union-backed plan to unify the island, but the ethnic Greek community rejected it. The legally awkward result was the entry of Greek Cyprus into the EU as the representative of the whole island, while the north was subjected to a continuing EU economic blockade.
The council said it "looks forward to decisive progress in the negotiations in the near future," a statement it issued after a briefing by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's special adviser on Cyprus, Alexander Downer. "I'm cautiously optimistic that this process can succeed," Downer said.
Referring to the talks between Turkish Cypriot President Mehmet Ali Talat and Greek Cypriot President Demetris Christofias, the statement noted that the two leaders have held 26 meetings on the subject since September and warmly welcomed "the progress made so far."
According to Downer, it is important that all parties support the negotiations, "because the alternative is a dark future for Cyprus."
"I'm cautiously optimistic that this process can succeed," he said, noting that Christofias and Talat, both moderate leftists, are longtime good friends and that "there's an expectation that they'll be able to make it this time." He stressed, however, that the two sides must comprise, with neither adopting a "winner-takes-all" attitude.
Britain's U.N. ambassador, John Sawers, said the council hopes the leaders "will seize the opportunity" to make progress with Downer's assistance. "We see a real opportunity to bring peace and a comprehensive settlement to Cyprus, which will hugely benefit both communities on the island," Sawers said.
Gap widening
"This should not be an indefinite exercise until the right solution is found, because we feel that the gap between the two peoples is widening as the years pass," said Baki Ilkin, Turkey's U.N. ambassador and a council member. "It's up to the leaders to determine when to come to terms, but [it should be] sooner rather than later."
Once part of the Ottoman Empire, the island of Cyprus formally became a British colony at the end of World War I, with Turkey relinquishing its sovereignty in 1923. In 1960, Cyprus became an independent republic under an accord that also made Turkey, Greece and the United Kingdom guarantors of that status. After repeated outbreaks of inter-communal violence between members of the Greek and Turkish populations, the military government of Greece launched a coup in 1974, seeking to annex the island. After a failed bid for U.K. forces to repel the coup, Turkey intervened. The division of the island that resulted has remained to this day.
In a 2004 referendum, Turkish Cyprus accepted a European Union-backed plan to unify the island, but the ethnic Greek community rejected it. The legally awkward result was the entry of Greek Cyprus into the EU as the representative of the whole island, while the north was subjected to a continuing EU economic blockade.