The First-day Fiasco of Cyprus Meeting
All the plans were to hold the inauguration ceremony of the talks Tuesday morning. Foreign minister Abdullah Gul arrived in Burgenstock Tuesday and waited until 15.30, his colleague Moliviatis to come. As Moliviatis was late for six hours, an announcement was made for the postponement of the official inauguration to evening hours.
At the last moment, Greece prevented the foursome talks that were supposed to be held on Wednesday.
Arriving as the last official in Burgenstock in the afternoon, Greek Petros Moliviatis s raised objection to a four-way meeting with his and Gul’s participation, on grounds that “The conditions have not matured.”
However, backing him, UN Envoy De Soto said “A foursome meeting is not necessary. The New York agreement does not say so” and astonished the Turkish side.
Later on De Soto , maintained the “positive uncertainty” stance which the United Nations implemented since the beginning and told the press that “It is not a must to have a foursome talk; it may either happen or not.” IT was the same De Soto who received the consent of the Turkish delegation a day before, to hold a foursome meeting.
Under the pressure of Athens, the United Nations shifted at the last moment.
A Turkish diplomat said “The negotiations have been terminologically announced at foursome meeting. If the sides in Cyprus would fail, then guarantors turkey and Greece were to enter the process. But now we see the efforts to full the talks to bilateral level. This did not please us.”
After De Soto started programming bilateral talks between Turkish and Greek Cypriot parties, this time the Greek Cypriot side turned down the call, saying that Prime Minister M.Ali Talat and his deputy Denktas were to hold talks but not authorized to make a decision. De Soto then had to cancel the meeting but later on announced that Talat and Denktas Jr. had full authorization.
There is word that, by this approach, the Greek Cypriot Administration is trying to prevent bilateral and thus, four-way talks.
