UN Secretary General Special Adviser Espen Barth Eide has said “We are now at the moment of truth,” during an afternoon press briefing on the progress of Cyprus talks in Geneva.
Following the first round of meetings on Monday, Eide said that the talks are fully owned and led by the Cypriots and there is no kind of UN arbitration, “and there will not be”.
He added that a sign of progress in the Cyprus problem could also be helpful for other conflicts in the world.
Asked about the security and guarantees chapter, Eide said: “We are not in the business of arbitrating this chapter and we will not be.”
The UN Special Adviser has also noted that he has spent much of his own time in Athens and Ankara discussing the issue, and that there will be some “shuttle diplomacy” on the matter but no “arbitration”.
EU ROLE IN THE CONFERENCE
Regarding the EU role in the conference on Cyprus, Eide has said that the EU would be there as an observer and that the participants in the conference will be the two Cypriot sides and the guarantor powers (Greece, Turkey, and the UK).
“But since we decided that a united Cyprus will be part of the European Union, they will also be present and helpful,” he added.
He said that when advice and input is needed the EU will be invited into the conference.
“As of right now there are conversations between us and the guarantor powers,” he said, adding that the guarantor powers are also discussing the issue amongst themselves.
Eide said that at the conference on Cyprus the guarantor powers will be present at the highest or second highest level.
Asked about the treaty of guarantee, the UN Special Adviser said that legally the treaty is still in effect, and that for it to be changed the parties that were signatories must change it.
UN SEC GEN ENGAGED ALMOST DAILY
Eide has said that the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, has had “almost daily exchanges” on the Cyprus issue.
MAPS
Asked about the presentation of maps on January 11, Eide said that this has been an agreed modality between the two sides, but that he could not say much more on the issue.
MORNING’S DISCUSSIONS
Eide said that property was the main issue discussed on Monday morning, and that it is a “large and complicated chapter”.
He said that all side have been stuck on some issues and that those issues need to be solved.
Eide added that small working groups have been set up to find mutually agreeable outcomes on the matter, and that both side would come back to the matter.
Anastasiades and Akinci were welcomed at the Palais des Nations at 8.45am (Geneva Time) today by Michael Moller, Director General at the UN Geneva office, along with UN Special Advisor on Cyprus, Espen Barth Eide. Today’s afternoon meeting is expected to take place from 5:30 to 8pm.
On Monday evening both sides’ delegations will also attend a dinner hosted by the Swiss government at the Intercontinental Hotel where Anastasiades and his delegation are staying. The dinner is expected to begin at 8:30pm.
On January 12, when the crucial Conference on Cyprus with the island’s guarantor powers and other relevant parties will take place, will see the day begin with a meeting between Anastasiades, Akinci and UN chief Antonio Guterres at 10:30am. The Conference is scheduled to begin at 11am.
BACKGROUND
Anastasiades and Akinci decided last December to resume their Swiss-based talks on January 9, 2017.
On January 11, they are expected to present their respective maps on the territorial chapter.
On January 12, the Conference on Cyprus will be convened with guarantor powers (Greece, the UK, Turkey) and other relevant parties.
Anastasiades and Akinci have been engaged in UN-led talks since May 2015 aiming to reunify the island under a federal roof, following Turkey’s 1974 invasion and illegal occupation on the island.
SigmaLive English will be following events in Geneva as they unfold.
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