Erdogan and Gul solved Cyprus

If Turkey had not brought the fifth version of the Annan plan to this point, we would still be facing the same old picture. They showed the political will to solve the 40 year-old Cyprus issue, which was a national taboo. They were courageous and more importantly, they always tried to be constructive during the process. They didn’t have confrontations with any of the state institutions. They knew how to convince the Turkish Armed Services and President Ahmet Necdet Sezer.

They successfully eliminated all resistance through concise persuasion and did not challenge anyone by saying, "This is what I decided and that’s the way it will go." Gul’s temperament was suitable for such a process, but I did not think Erdogan could play the game so well. Seeing his unpredictable stance in the 2002 Copenhagen and 2003 The Hague summits, I had decided to be more cautious about him. I did not think he could be so determined and courageous all through the process. Erdogan’s attitude, body language and determination even surprised the United Nations officials.

The Erdogan-Gul duo took the most important decision of recent history. The risk they took was great. No one expects politicians to take such risks. Everyone should know that, if we have come to this stage, most of the credit lies with these two politicians.

Ugur Ziyal: An extraordinary diplomat
There are some people, who don’t want to be seen in the limelight. Many people may not know it, but these people’s attitude greatly influences the changes in history. I am talking about the Foreign Minister Undersecretary Ugur Ziyal.

Ziyal, with his stance during the Cyprus negotiations, has resuscitated the waning prestige of the Turkish Foreign Ministry. Not only that, he also convinced the resisting bureaucracy, the presidency, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC) President Rauf Denktas and Turkish Armed Services. Ziyal received the greatest support through Gul’s political will, but going beyond that he also used his personal prestige and played a key role in Turkey getting this surprising and crucial decision.

He both eliminated the domestic resistance and played the part of an orchestra conductor in foreign affairs. I believe a top U.N. official’s description of Ugur Ziyal summarizes him the best.

"He is a diplomat beyond international norms. Ziyal being the Foreign Ministry undersecretary at such a crucial time is in Turkey’s favor. If Ziyal had not participated in the negotiations, the final agreement would have been much different. He, like an orchestra conductor not only impressed the Turkish side, but also us (the U.N.) and the Greeks."

General Ozkok played a key part
If the Erdogan-Gul duo deserves the most credit by showing the necessary political will, the person heading the Turkish Armed Services will also be recorded in history for his understanding.

It was Turkey’s luck that General Hilmi Ozkok was the chief of general staff at this crucial time. His understanding concerning Cyprus should never be forgotten. Reports in the media said that the Army and the Gendarme were against the Annan agreement.

Ozkok knew how to disperse the resistance within the military and did not allow the doubts felt about the AK Party government to create tension. He also acted courageously. He could have acted much differently.

Knowing what had to be done for Turkey’s future, he cooperated with the government. He told the opposition within the military that this was the duty of political will, not the officers and reminded them he always had the last say in the army.

This was my impression from the outside.

Denktas and Talat were crucial
KKTC President Denktas constantly objecting to the Annan plan, even though he had signed the New York Agreement, ended with him being isolated. He was replaced by KKTC Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Talat and his son Serdar Denktas. Their interaction with each other was better than expected and they kept their relations with Ankara very close.

Actually, the hero that should be mentioned here should have been the Turkish Cypriot electorate, because they showed that they wanted a solution by electing Talat and Serdar Denktas as the government. Talat renewed himself when he became the prime minister, and his stance after could be classified as a "statesman like."

His relations with Rauf Denktas were at a very respectful level and mended his relations with Ankara soon after becoming prime minister. Serdar Denktas, while stuck in between his father and his political opinion, eventually showed that he was for a solution. His stance now will designate his future. He might either join his father in opposition to the agreement and become a marginal actor in Cypriot politics or become a rising young leader. In short, the replacement of Rauf Denktas with this duo played an important part in getting this result.

Simitis, Papandreou and Karamanlis
Former Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis and Foreign Minister George Papandreou were influential in this process. They knew they would lose the national elections to Kostas Karamanlis. They were courageous in signing the New York agreement.

The New Greek Prime Minister Karamanlis could have supported the Greek Cypriots much more forcefully in Switzerland. He did not. He even gave the impression that he thinks a YES vote should come out at the Cyprus referenda.

Background players: Powell, Straw, Verheugen
We should not forget about the third parties that played a crucial part in the background. The U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell heads the list. He was always ready to intervene during the negotiations. He took time with his special representative Thomas Weston, to resolve the issues.

British Foreign Minister Jack Straw also played an important part. He controlled all sides and the EU capitals.

The Germans and French were also influential.

The biggest surprise was the EU Commission. Especially the EU Commissioner for Enlargement Guenter Verheugen and his boss EU Commission President Romano Prodi worked hard to find a formula to please all sides. Verheugen spent three whole days and never tried to trick the Turkish side. He was honest and played a key part in finding the formula that moderately pleased Ankara.

There are many more people that deserve a mention here, but unfortunately the space constraints prevent me to do so.