Confidence-Building Measures, including the opening of new crossing points, are not a precondition for convening the next expanded 5+1 conference on the Cyprus problem, government sources said. The clarification came in response to criticism voiced after UN Secretary-General António Guterres’s recent visit to Cyprus.
The sources said Guterres’s reference to “methodology” concerns the necessary preparation for a meeting aimed at leading to a substantive resumption of negotiations.
These sources argued that the process is now at a completely different point compared with before, noting that while there was initially limited engagement from both the UN Secretary-General and the European Union, active involvement from both is now being recorded.
In this context, they assessed Guterres’s statement following his visit to Cyprus as particularly significant. They pointed out that he reintroduced explicit references to the UN parameters and to the convergences achieved in the negotiations.
They also noted that he announced all sides had agreed to convene a new expanded conference in 5+1 format.
According to government sources, the Secretary-General has now shaped the framework for the process’s continuation through the prospect of convening the conference, and responsibility now shifts to both sides.
They said the Greek Cypriot side has already made clear that it is ready to participate whenever called, reaffirming its position in favour of a solution based on the relevant UN Security Council resolutions, the convergences already achieved, and the continuation of negotiations from the point where they were interrupted at Crans-Montana.
The officials argued that the goal of the expanded meeting is not a procedural gathering, but getting into the substantive issues of the Cyprus problem, with a view to announcing the resumption of substantive negotiations. According to this information, both the Secretary-General and his personal envoy, María Ángela Holguín, have conveyed this approach in their contacts with Turkey.
However, government sources assessed that the final decision on whether the expanded conference takes place still rests with the Turkish side.
Responding to criticism over the Secretary-General’s reference to methodology, the sources said it is self-evident that proper preparation is required before an expanded conference that aims for a substantive outcome. As they explained, the methodology concerns precisely this groundwork, not the introduction of new political terms or preconditions.
On the matter of Confidence-Building Measures, and specifically the issue of crossing points, government sources rejected the interpretation that these constitute a precondition for holding the 5+1 conference. They noted that the Greek Cypriot side had responded positively to the compromise proposal put to it, and added that if the measures were a precondition, any side that disagreed could effectively block the entire process.
According to these sources, the proposal currently on the table concerns the routing and technical arrangements, not the substance of the process for convening the conference. They added that reaching agreement on new crossing points would be a positive development, whether before the conference or even during it, but stressed this is not linked to whether the conference itself takes place.
Government sources reiterated that the Greek Cypriot side’s position remains unchanged, aiming for a solution based on UN Security Council decisions, the continuation of the process from the point where it was interrupted at Crans-Montana, and the use of the convergences already achieved, while pointing out that what is sought is not merely agreement on a framework, but the ability to implement whatever is agreed.
On the next steps, government sources said the process is now entering a preparatory phase, with the required methodology being drawn up under the coordination of the UN Secretary-General’s personal envoy, María Ángela Holguín.
(Information from Cyprus News Association)
