All eyes are now on the President of the Republic’s meeting with the occupation regime’s leader and the UN Secretary-General in the coming weeks. It is another chance to find out whether the Cyprus problem can move at all, and whether talks can restart.
It is a tall order. The occupying side is plainly throwing up obstacles while rushing to flaunt its expansionist designs. Erdogan’s game of hide-and-seek in Antalya, ducking President Christodoulides, says everything about the occupying side’s intentions.
For a long time, the talks centred on confidence-building measures, above all the opening of new crossing points. Even here, the difficulties were huge, and they still are. That is why only two of the four crossings under discussion were announced at last Monday’s meeting. Neither is regarded as a major one, because neither will help nearly as many people as crossings at Athienou-Aglandjia and Kokkina, or even Mia Milia, would.
What matters, clearly, is the substance of the Cyprus problem, the very heart of the issue. That is what must be discussed. Rather than burning time on confidence-building measures, we believe the focus should shift to substance. After all, talks on confidence-building measures do not always lead to an overall settlement. The record speaks for itself.
The side dodging the substance is the occupying side, and it does so because it stands to lose. It occupies territory, but won’t talk territory. It keeps troops and weapons, but won’t talk security. Whenever it suits, it suddenly remembers that it is also a guarantor power. It is not. It is an occupying power!
We know all this. Knowing it isn’t the point. Everyone else needs to see it: every player, the UN, the international community.
We can take stock, and the results may disappoint. What matters is an outcome. Keeping the process ticking over may stave off a deadlock that would have serious consequences, but it is no solution.
Clearly, the Greek Cypriot side is doing everything it can to move things forward, whether various third parties accept it or not. It is the side that takes the initiatives and feeds the effort with ideas, both procedural and substantive.
We say so now because the UN will soon be passing judgement on this latest push.
