Greek Cypriots cautious on Turkish deal offer
Turkey’s offer for a swift reunification deal on the divided island of Cyprus was met with caution by Greek Cypriots on Sunday, as they tried to work out if there was a catch.
Conditioned by years of failed mediation attempts, Greek Cypriot officials were caught off guard by Saturday’s announcement by Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan that the United Nations should be allowed to bridge any gaps in a blueprint for reuniting the island.
"We are trying to get a clear picture of the situation," said a Greek Cypriot official. Seen as a major step towards a possible peace deal, Ankara
says it is ready to let U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan fill in unresolved issues in the unification plan at the endgame of negotiations, provided the Greek Cypriots also agree.
It was unclear if the offer was good enough to meet U.N. conditions for a resumption of talks between Greek and Turkish Cypriots, at a standstill for the past 10 months.
Annan wants talks resumed on his power-sharing blueprint which would end 30 years of partition and usher in a united island to the European Union by May 1.
The U.N. chief pulled out his envoy Alvaro de Soto last year, saying he would only re-engage if the sides showed commitment they would finalise the plan and set, from the outset, a date for a public referendum.
Turkey’s pledge that it would not object to Annan filling in the blanks but demanding that de Soto be replaced in a renewed mediation process muddied the waters somewhat, one diplomat close to the peace process said.
Annan deflected suggestions de Soto be replaced. The Turkish side say they want a mediator both parties can trust. "An offer was made which does not quite co-relate to what is on the table, but one has to weigh up what the end result would be. The die is cast but the shape hasn’t been determined yet," a western diplomat said.
Resolving the Cyprus logjam is crucial to Turkey’s hopes of easing its accession into the European Union. Ankara’s bid is to be reviewed in December.
