Goodwill for solution in Cyprus

During the negotiations, not only the spirit of the UN plan but also its technical details are on the table. One of them, the issue of federal laws, has led to widespread confusion due to a dearth of information. Since these laws concern how the future state structure will actually work, they aren’t merely technical but actually quite important.

The Greek Cypriot side wants these laws to be given their final form during the negotiations. This would be ideal. However, the Turkish side sees this as impossible, owing to the laws’ complexity. Therefore, Lefkosa and Ankara want to focus on merely the most important laws for the time being.

Under these circumstances, the UN has to find a middle ground. Annan has suggested focusing on the laws which need to be completed prior to the island’s EU accession. Although technical committees are currently working on these laws, signs of significant progress are lacking.

The main reason for the current frenzied countdown is Denktas himself. At the October 2002 New York summit, Annan asked Denktas and then Greek Cypriot leader Glafcos Clerides to start working on the federal laws as soon as possible. However, Denktas failed to set up a technical committee to deal with the issue, which is why so much time was wasted.

But what happened after the technical committees were established? ‘The Turkish committee seemed reluctant to hold meetings, and consequently the committees failed to make progress,’ complained Annan. However, the UN is still hopeful. ‘A solution might be reached in line with Annan’s proposal,’ said one UN official. ‘We might overcome these problems by satisfying both sides. The only thing we need now is good will.

That’s the point: good will.”