Cyprus Related News - 05_08_09

Cyprus Weekly Editorial - August 2006

Unpunished war crimes

Cyprus, itself a victim of foreign invasion and occupation resulting in the displacement of tens of thousands of its people, sympathises fully with the people of Lebanon who are suffering a similar fate these days as a result of the Israeli attacks.

This is undoubtedly an additional reason for Cyprus to extend its traditional hospitality to the refugees from Lebanon arriving on the island.

We pray and hope that the Lebanese refugees may soon return home, unlike our own displaced people who are still waiting to return home 32 years after their enforced expulsion by the Turkish troops, despite the existence of UN Security Council resolutions telling Turkey to allow them to do so.

It is a tragedy of our times that such Security Council demands remain unenforced. This has allowed Turkey, a country guilty of the war crime of the enforced displacement of the people of Cyprus, to get away with it. What is more, the failure of the international community to ensure that such war crimes are in effect not simply tolerated, but also rewarded, only encourages other nations, to commit similar war crimes with impunity.

Would Israel have acted the way it does in Lebanon now if the international community, the United Nations or the European Union had taken action to punish Turkey for its war crimes in Cyprus, and for its failure to comply with the judgements of the European Human Rights Court that found it guilty of such crimes?

Prominent jurists, international law specialists and human rights activists have lost no time in denouncing Israel's actions in Lebanon as not simply ``disproportionate'' retaliation to the Hezbollah rocketing of northern Israel, but as actions violating the Geneva Conventions.

Louise Arbour, the UN Commissioner for Human Rights charged from the very first days of the Israeli attacks last week that these amounted to war crimes, and that the Israeli commanders ordering them should be tried.

Cyprus, itself a victim of such war crimes, hopes and prays that the international community will heed Louise Arbour's call and prosecute Israel, creating a precedent that may, even after all these years, be used against Turkey for its similar crimes in Cyprus.

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/5256414.stm

Last Updated: Tuesday, 8 August 2006, 14:52 GMT 15:52 UK
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Glimmer of light on Cyprus?
By Kirsty Hughes
Writer on European affairs

It is early August and temperatures are rising above 40 degrees, but few politicians appear to be on holiday on either side of the green line in divided Cyprus.

Behind a media blackout, Greek and Turkish Cypriot negotiators are meeting under UN auspices to thrash out a basis for new talks.

Cypriot Foreign Minister George Lillikas
George Lillikas campaigned against the UN Annan plan for Cyprus
On 31 July the two sides exchanged lists of issues they wanted to discuss.

These points were agreed by the leaders of the Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities, Tassos Papadopoulos and Mehmet Ali Talat, when they met in early July, under pressure from UN Deputy Secretary-General Ibrahim Gambari.

Hopes are rising of a deal this week, involving twin-track talks: on improving co-operation on "daily life" issues such as health or crime, and on substantive issues relating to any future comprehensive settlement.

This would be the first breakthrough since April 2004, when the Greek Cypriots voted "No" and Turkish Cypriots "Yes" in a referendum on a plan drawn up by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan to reunite the island.

After Annan

Greek Cypriot Foreign Minister George Lillikas - being groomed, some say, as a possible successor to Mr Papadopoulos - is upbeat in his Nicosia office, colourful paintings on the walls.

"We insist on a federal bizonal, bicommunal solution," he says.

Mehmet Ali Talat
Mehmet Ali Talat says the Annan plan is the best basis for talks
This surprises some, since it was the foundation of the Annan plan, which Mr Lillikas campaigned against and rejects as the basis for any future talks.

"Anyone [who talks about the Annan plan] is supporting the division of the island," he says.

Across the green line, the elected leader of northern Cyprus, Mehmet Ali Talat, sits in almost cloistered isolation amidst the old low arches of the presidential palace in Nicosia.

He is clearly frustrated and disappointed - having been elected on a pro-EU, pro-settlement basis - that north Cyprus remains isolated two years after the Yes vote on the UN plan, and despite EU promises in April 2004 to end its isolation.

For him, the Annan plan remains key: "There is no other basis for a solution, so we put the things we want to change or keep as they are." On a possible new UN process, he says he is "neither optimistic or pessimistic".

Asked why the two leaders only met for the first time in two years this July, Mr Talat says: "Papadopoulos was refusing to meet me."

"There is now some pressure on the Greek Cypriots, so Papadopoulos agreed to come together after a long period of a rejectionist stance."

EU promises

EU politicians are following these talks closely, as the Cyprus problem threatens to derail Turkey's EU membership talks this autumn.

Turkey is currently refusing to open its ports and airports to Greek Cypriot traffic - a legal obligation under its EU customs union - unless the EU opens northern Cyprus's ports, ending its economic isolation.

Map of Cyprus

Q&A: Cyprus peace process
Mr Lillikas, like other EU politicians, refuses to accept any linkage.

"Turkey is trying to have something in return for fulfilling its obligations - it is not happening and we won't allow it to happen," he says. "Turkey should forget about the Anatolian bazaar."

But Mr Talat insists the EU should anyway keep its promises.

"After the referendum, the EU promised many things - to lift isolation, to let Turkish Cypriots export goods from Famagusta port, to let Turkish Cypriots get funds directly from the EU without involvement of the Greek Cypriot side and even reaching up to direct flights," he says.

"So now we are observing in great dismay that the EU cannot do anything without the permission or support of the Greek Cypriot side."

Freeze threat

Mr Lillikas counters that Turkish Cypriot isolation is "a myth".

"How are they isolated?" he asks. "They asked and we gave them passports of the Republic of Cyprus; they feel isolated because no-one recognises their state."

Now we ask for fulfilment [of Turkey's obligations] before any negotiation on any chapter
George Lillikas
In tough mood, Mr Lillikas accuses Turkey of behaving provocatively - sending "negative messages" that it will never recognise Cyprus and vetoing Cyprus's accession to "various international organisations".

He says Turkey must fulfil its obligations, including ratifying the Ankara Protocol on opening the ports, before Cyprus will negotiate on any chapter of Turkey's EU membership talks.

Asked if this means freezing the negotiations from now on, he responds: "I don't know how this will be interpreted but it is up to the Turks... they have enough time to October/November to ratify [the protocol] and open ports and airports... they decide if it will move forward or stop. If they want to stop, it will be stopped."

But Mr Talat insists that "the best proposal is the Turkish one to lift restrictions simultaneously" on both Turkish and northern Cypriot ports.

Wiggle room

The European Commission put forward draft regulations two years ago for direct trade and financial aid to northern Cyprus, but Mr Talat says "direct trade is dead for the Greek Cypriots" - who have blocked it, arguing it is tantamount to recognition of the north.

Lifting of our isolation is not a bargaining issue - these are our rights
Mehmet Ali Talat
The EU did pass the aid regulation in February, but in early July the Greek Cypriots blocked the funds totalling 259m euros (£175m), leading Mr Talat to comment: "I do not have a feeling they'll ever allow implementation."

Mr Lillikas says they blocked the first tranche of funds (38m euros, or £26m) - in part on energy projects - because the European Commission "suggested projects that would lead clearly to the separation of the island".

He adds that if the measure is voted through regardless of Cypriot objections, Cyprus will challenge it in the European Court.

Despite the discouraging mood music, EU diplomats hope the aid deal will go through in September.

And behind the scenes some EU diplomats are working - albeit pessimistically - on a small direct trade package for northern Cyprus, in the hope of allowing Turkey enough wiggle room to open its ports to Greek Cypriot shipping.

'Train crash'

But the Greek and Turkish Cypriot sides seem far apart - and preliminary talks in 2005 on a direct trade package collapsed, each side blaming the other.

Mr Talat does not sound ready to compromise: "Lifting of [our] isolation is not a bargaining issue - these are our rights."

If the two sides do not come closer together, then the EU faces an uphill battle to stop what Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn has referred to as a "train crash" with Turkey this autumn.

Both Mr Talat and Mr Lillikas say they do not want this to happen.

If it does, European diplomats doubt any revived UN dialogue on Cyprus could survive.

So while for now there is a glimmer of light on UN Cyprus talks, it could soon fade again.

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http://www.focus-fen.net/index.php?catid=132&newsid=93716&ch=0

Ankara Wants Cyprus Issue Technical Talks to Fail

8 August 2006 | 17:59 | FOCUS News Agency

Ankara. The Turkish party wants the discussion of the technical commissions to fail, Cypriot newspaper Politis informs.
Ankara wants the talks between the two communities on the island to come to a dead-end as the Cyprus Greeks will be blamed for that.
During the last few days the Turkish party made it its aim to reiterate its already known positions on solving the Cyprus issue on the basis of two states and on the Annan Plan, which was rejected by the Cyprus Greeks on April 24th 2004, the newspaper reads.
Politis comments that Ankara aims at accusing the Greek party for violating the agreement reached on July 8th between the President of the Republic of Cyprus Tassos Papadopoulos and the President of the unrecognized Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus Mehmet Ali Talat for commencing Cyprus issue talks on a technical level.

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http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=50861

Ariana Ferentinou: Does EU compromise on Lebanon herald compromise for Cyprus?
Monday, August 7, 2006
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The stance of the EU towards Turkey is not going to be judged on principles but on interests. Even more than that: on the compromise of various regional interests under the supervision of the United States.

Ariana Ferentinou

?Now is the time of the EU! To show its teeth as the only remaining power against the blatant aggression by the American-Israeli axis,? cried out the Greek Cypriot professor of international relations in one of the countless Greek TV discussions on the Lebanon crisis. This was just a day or two before the EU foreign ministers' summit last week. Certainly he had his own good reasons for striving to boost the importance of the EU in the playground of the Middle East with apparently only one player, the United States. Since joining the EU, Greek Cypriots feel safe and protected. And there is nothing more human than wanting to praise the hosts that welcomed you into their home as a member of the family. At the same time there is nothing more predictable than trying to exaggerate the importance of your host just because they accepted you as equals.

But I'm afraid that last week's emergency EU foreign ministers' summit in Brussels on the war in Lebanon was another disappointment. Once again the EU showed that in spite their proclamations on those famous acquis on democracy and human rights, they still remain a primarily economic interest group of nations, where a common foreign policy is the weakest link among them. Javier Solana, the European Union foreign policy chief, may seem friendly with all the parties involved in the recent turmoil -- maybe he knows some of the leaders personally from his NATO days -- but appears pathetically inactive when it comes to articulating any comprehensive common stance on behalf of Brussels. The communiqué of the ?25? foreign ministers on Lebanon was typically wordy and noncommittal. It was the result of yet another compromise among those who rallied behind Washington like Britain, Germany -- a new American friend -- the Netherlands, Denmark, Poland, the Czechs, and to some extent Italy, which did not think an immediate cease-fire was essential. These asked for an end of hostilities. The others --including Greece and Cyprus -- were for an immediate end to the war. They asked for a cease-fire. The result, after four hours of hot debate under the Finnish presidency, was yet another typical noncommittal text that called for a cessation of hostilities first, to be followed by a cease-fire. So once again everybody was happy and the Brussels golden rule of the middle way was achieved thanks to the idea of small but inventive Luxembourg. A small detail may be of interest: Until the last moment Javier Solana was insisting that the condemnation of Hezbollah should be placed before the condemnation of Israel in the communiqué.

The tense -- but weak on results -- meeting of the foreign ministers in Brussels could not but remind me of what Professor Richard Falk told me about the continuous failure of the EU to be unified and influential in relation to the war in Lebanon. Falk thought that at this particular moment this is ?a setback for world order and reflects centrally the more conservative leadership in Germany than at the time of the Iraq war (2003) and the greater ambivalence of France in the aftermath of its domestic riots. … The EU has been effectively neutralized as a player in the region, and it was never, unfortunately, more than an impotent, symbolic balance to the coercive and hegemonic approach being pursued by the United States and its partner, Israel.?

Going back to our enthusiastic supporter of the EU, the Cypriot professor, who never stops praising Brussels for accepting his country while hitting Turkey hard for its inability to comply with the EU acquis. Our professor may count on Brussels for bloodying Turkey's nose, but judging from yet another example last week of the EU's preferred policy of ?convergence of opinion,? I think the stance of the EU towards Turkey is not going to be judged on principles but on interests. Even more than that: on the compromise of various regional interests under the supervision of the United States. And because of this, we should not expect a crisis after the publication of the EU Progress report on Turkey in autumn. This is not my opinion. It is the opinion of George Iakovou, the former Cypriot foreign minister, who expressed it in a private conversation we had recently in Greece.