Annan presents third plan to leaders
By Jean Christou
U.N. SECRETARY-general Kofi Annan yesterday presented the third version of his plan for a Cyprus solution to the Greek and Turkish Cypriot sides whom he will meet this morning.
The Secretary-general, on arrival in Cyprus yesterday, said tomorrow's deadline for an agreement was still valid but that he would give the leaders "maximum" a week to respond.
Annan, his envoy Alvaro de Soto, President-elect and Tassos Papadopoulos, incumbent President Glafcos Clerides and Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash will attend today's talks at the UN-controlled Nicosia Airport conference facility.
It will be the first time old adversaries Denktash and Papadopoulos will meet face to face since 1976, when the president-elect was the interlocutor in the Cyprus talks for the Markarios government. Denktash has been conducting the direct talks with Clerides for the past year.
Each of the three men was presented with a copy of the revised plan during separate hour-long meetings with Annan after his arrival on the island yesterday afternoon, UNFICYP spokesman Brian Kelly confirmed. It is believed to contain around 150 pages.
The meeting with Clerides was held at the incumbent's home while the other two took place at the residence of UN Chief of Mission Zbigniew Wlosowicz, in the UN-controlled Nicosia airport.
Asked last night, after his final meeting, which was with Denktash, what he expected from today's meeting Annan said: "Real movement."
Denktash, who like Papadopoulos, made no immediate statements after meeting Annan, gave several interviews prior to the Secretary-general's arrival. He told Turkish Cypriot radio Bayrak the plan was a "fanciful one prepared by those ignorant of the Cyprus problem".
In an interview with Reuters he said: "The timetable of February 28, two days' time, is unrealistic. Everybody realises the timetable cannot be kept. Shall we be able to correct it (the plan)? I don't know. But if it is not corrected, how can anyone ask me to put my signature to a plan which will make half of my people refugees again?"
Both sides, plus the Greek government, have already indicated that the time frame was too tight and only Turkish leader Tayyip Erdogan appears to be optimistic that a settlement is within reach.
At the airport Annan said the contents of the revised third draft should not come as a surprise to the two sides and that a preview had also been given to them last Sunday.
He also said he believed the offer on the table was fair and balanced and that a settlement would bring great benefits to both sides, the motherlands, the region and the world as a whole. "I hope Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots alike understand the urgency of the task at hand. It is not an exaggeration to say that you have a rendezvous with destiny," he said. "I pray that the leaders in their wisdom will come to an agreement in the coming days."
Speaking to reporters after returning to his office last night, Papadopoulos said he had assured Annan of the Greek Cypriot side's determination to hold talks with a "constructive and flexible attitude".
He said that he did not discuss the revised plan with Annan because he was not yet familiar with it. "I simply outlined our views on the proposals we had". Papadopoulos said he received the plan only ten minutes before meeting Annan but that he would spend the night studying it.
He said Annan was very convinced that Ankara wanted a solution. "Of course, we all want a solution, the point is what kind of solution," he added. "We have repeatedly said we are ready for substantial negotiations. It must be appreciated that we cannot find a solution alone. There is also the Turkish side and if it has the will, like we do, and maintains positions which can satisfy our concerns and likewise, a solution can be found. I cannot foresee Mr Denktash's frame of mind", he added.
Referring to timeframe, Papadopouolos said: "He (Annan) considers the timeframe very important and expressed his desire that it be kept."
The tight timeframe was designed to allow time for both sides to hold referenda on March 30 so that a united Cyprus could sign the EU accession treaty in April. Referring to his second draft plan, that the UN wanted signed in Copenhagen during the EU summit in December, Annan said: "That opportunity slipped away, unfortunately."
There was speculation in the north yesterday that Denktash could hold a pre-referendum as early as next Saturday after discussing the new draft with his 'cabinet'. There were also television reports that the Greek Cypriot side might hold a pre-referendum on the plan.
The new revised deal seeks to limit the territory under Turkish Cypriot administration to 28.2 per cent of the island from 36 per cent currently held. The earlier draft suggested the Turkish Cypriots would get 28.6 per cent. That arrangement would allow some 92,000 Greek Cypriot refugees to return to their former homes and displace around 40,000 Turkish Cypriots and Turks. It also seeks to limit the quota of Greek Cypriot resettlement in the Turkish Cypriot area to 21 per cent of the total population from 28 per cent in the earlier text.
Annan, who will leave the island late tomorrow or early Saturday, will also attend a lunch today with the political party leaders from both sides of the island, again at Wlosowicz's residence.
CYPRUS MAIL 27/02/2003
The demonstrations Annan never saw
By Stefanos Evripidou
DEMONSTRATIONS for and against the Annan plan were held in the capital yesterday to mark the arrival of UN Secretary-general Kofi Annan, but the UN leader missed both as he spent the day directing efforts for a Cyprus solution at the Nicosia airport.
The Pancyprian Movement of Citizens gathered outside the Presidential Palace around 4.30pm, sending a message to Annan that they were against any solution that was in direct violation of the UN charter, the European Convention of Human Rights or its subsequent case law.
A member of the movement, Georgios Kendas, told the Cyprus Mail that around one hundred people turned up for an hour and a half outside the palace as a symbolic gesture to show Annan that people were concerned about the violation of their rights in a Cyprus solution. The group sent a resolution addressed to Annan expressing their concerns to the UN office. Meanwhile, around 300 members of the 'Platform for Solution/Reunification Now' group gathered at the entrance to the Hilton in Nicosia, where Annan is staying, to express their support for the Secretary-general and his plan solution, holding candles in the chill.
"Our aim is to send a message to Annan that the people are interested and longing for a solution and reunification. But we also want to encourage our political leadership to work towards this aim," said group member, Demetris Papapetrou. Amongst the demonstrators for peace and reunification were Cyprus's chief negotiator for EU accession, Georgios Vasiliou, Government spokesman, Michalis Papapetrou, Agriculture Minister, Kostas Themistocleous and former DISY deputy, Katie Clerides.
According to Turkish Cypriot newspaper Kibris, around 2,000 people took part in a march in occupied Famagusta on Tuesday organised by the platform 'This Country is Ours' to express their will for a solution to the Cyprus problem and joining the EU. The participants held placards calling for the resignation of Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash.
Meanwhile, a group of youths gathered outside Denktash's residence in the north also calling for his resignation. They named the gathering 'Operation to save our future', and repeated calls for a solution and EU accession, the paper reported.
Kibris released the results of a recent poll which highlighted that only 26.6 per cent of Turkish Cypriots support Denktash's policy on Cyprus, while 37.3 per cent believe the policies followed by Denktash are wrong. A total of 1,349 people took part in the poll taken this month.
More demonstrations are planned today on both sides of the island. A large protest march is scheduled for 11am at Inonu Square in occupied Nicosia, the theme of the march being support for a solution and accession to the EU.
On a more international front, members of the Stop the War Alliance, supported by the Greens party are planning a demonstration to coincide with Annan's visit, outside the Hilton hotel at 6.30pm today. The Alliance is protesting what they describe as the hypocrisy of the 'big powers' and the double standards shown by the UN. They are objecting to a war against Iraq with or without UN backing and are calling for the disarmament of Israel and the liberation of Palestine.
CYPRUS MAIL 27/02/2003
Annan piles on Cyprus pressure
By Kerin Hope in Nicosia and Leyla Boulton in Ankara Published: February 27 2003 FINANCIAL TIMES
Kofi Annan, the UN secretary-general, on Thursday extended until March 10 a deadline for the Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders to agree Cyprus should enter the European Union as a reunified state.
But he raised the stakes by proposing that if Tassos Papadopoulos and Rauf Denktash, the two community leaders, failed to sign a deal by that date, the latest UN plan should be submitted to a referendum on both sides of the island.
The hope is for both sides to give their "political" signature on March 10, and then hold referendums before March 30. This would enable both sides, plus Greece, Turkey and the UK - the guarantor powers - to have a formal signing on March 31, allowing time to redraft Cyprus's EU accession agreement before April 16, when EU enlargement treaties are to be finally signed at a ceremony in Athens.
Mr Annan met for less than an hour on Thursday with the community leaders, after presenting them the previous night with a 450-page document setting out details of a settlement. The latest revised version of the plan would hand back almost 8 per cent of the island's territory to Greek Cypriots, a slight reduction. It would also reduce the number of Greek Cypriots allowed to live in Turkish-controlled areas.
Mr Denktash, who rejected two previous versions without substantive negotiation, criticised the referendum proposal as "trickery". He said: "They are telling us to ask the public, bypassing the government, bypassing parliament and our own decisions."
In spite of Mr Denktash's stone-walling, hopes have grown in Ankara that the Turkish Cypriot side will agree to Mr Annan's revised plan. A demonstration on Thursday in Nicosia by tens of thousands of Turkish Cypriots underlined the strong support in the north for a settlement that would guarantee EU membership for the whole of the island.
Mr Papadopoulos, the newly elected president of the Greek Cypriot-controlled south, was last night holding talks with his predecessor, Glafcos Clerides, and other Greek Cypriot party leaders in an effort to work out a joint position.
Mr Papadopoulos is aware that Greek Cypriot opposition to a deal agreed by the Turkish Cypriots could prompt some EU member states to hesitate about accepting just the Greek Cypriot south as a member next month
Sign UN plan or quit, protesters tell Denktas
From Michael Theodoulou in Nicosia
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RAUF DENKTAS, the Turkish Cypriot leader, denounced as "trickery" a UN peace plan yesterday as more than a third of the population of his self-styled state took to the streets imploring him to sign it or quit.
An estimated 70,000 people turned out in the Turkish-controlled northern half of the divided capital, Nicosia.
The UN deadline expires today for acceptance of its proposals to reunite Cyprus before it enters the European Union. "Uncle Denktas, my father tells me that my future is with the EU, not you," read a placard held by a child at the demonstration, where many waved EU flags and olive branches. Unless a deal is secured, the prosperous Greek Cypriots, who represent the island internationally, will join the EU alone next year.
Mr Denktas emerged in defiant mood from talks with Kofi Annan, the UN Secretary-General, and the President of Cyprus, Tassos Papadopoulos, who heads the Greek Cypriot community. "It’s all sleight of hand," Mr Denktas said when reporters asked if the latest version of Mr Annan’s plan offered any new incentives for Turkish Cypriots.
He said that it still contained unacceptable proposals to allow tens of thousands of Greek Cypriots to return to areas of the Turkish-held north.
As he spoke, the demonstrators beseeched him to sign the UN plan or resign the post he has held for nearly three decades. "Save us from him, Mr Annan," another placard read. International isolation and embargoes have left the Turkish Cypriots impoverished. |
THE TIMES 28/02/2003
Annan gives Cyprus extra time to put a peace deal to its people
Helena Smith in Nicosia
Friday February 28, 2003
The Guardian
The UN secretary general, Kofi Annan, extended his deadline for the divided communities of Cyprus to accept reunification until March 10 yesterday as he flew to the island for a final push towards agreement.
He said he expected the Greek and Turkish leaders to tell him today whether they would meet him at the Hague in 10 days' time to show their commitment to a complex peace deal. Last night the Guardian learned that Mr Annan will ask them if they will agree to let their respective communities hold simultaneous plebiscites on the UN proposals to reunite the island before an agreement is signed by Cyprus and its guarantor powers, Greece, Turkey and Britain.
This would remove the onus from politicians and put a solution to the island's dispute "in the hands of the people", allowing their leaders to make concessions, a senior Greek Cypriot official said.
"Instead of asking for a definitive answer today, Annan wants the two leaders on March 10 to commit to sending a solution to referendum for approval on March 30, in other words before it is signed," a diplomatic source close to the peace talks said.
"If they do accept to do that, should they meet him at the Hague, he will have them commit to it in writing."
Mr Annan had originally the set today as the deadline for the Greeks and Turks to agree to a proposal that would allow the island formally to join the EU reunited in April.
Before arriving on the island, where he presented a third revised version of his plan, Mr Annan said a one-week extension could be allowed.
"Meanwhile, there will be negotiations, also most probably in the next few days, to get both sides to agree on what remains to be agreed in the plan," the diplomat said. "If they cannot do that, Annan will ask that they accept him as the arbitrator who fills in the gaps."
The new UN proposal came to light as 70,000 Turkish Cypriot protesters converged on their side of the divided capital, Nicosia, to demand that their leader, Rauf Denktash, accepted the peace deal.
A recent poll commissioned by the Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris showed that 59.6% of Turkish Cypriots would support the plan in a referendum.
The Greek Cypriots, on the other hand, are more sceptical of a solution many fear could bring more problems than benefits.
The deal envisages the two communities, which have been separated since 1974, living in federated states linked by a weak central government.
"Let the word go out to Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot alike: you have a rendezvous with destiny," Mr Annan said after holding talks in Ankara and Athens.
"If this opportunity is missed, it is not sure whether it will come again any time soon."
EU diplomats believe that if the internationally recognised Greek-controlled south enters the EU alone it will harm Turkey's application to join the EU.
Yesterday the newly elected president of Greek Cyprus, Tassos Papadopoulos, described his first meeting with Mr Denktash as "very good, very civilised and very humane": a hopeful sign for the negotiations' success.
Mr Denktash has publicly accused Mr Papadopoulos of trying to kill him during the strife that gripped the island in
the 1960s.
All change
By Jean Christou
U.N. Secretary-general Kofi Annan yesterday moved the goalposts in the Cyprus standoff by changing his call for a comprehensive deal by today's deadline to a commitment from both sides to separate referenda on March 30.
Annan has invited the leaders of the two sides to The Hague on March 10 to commit themselves to separate referenda and not, as previously stipulated, to give their final 'yes' or 'no' to the third version of his plan.
The shock turnabout of talking 'referenda' instead of 'comprehensive settlement' appears to be letting Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash and President-elect Tassos Papadopoulos off the hook.
However by agreeing to sign a document committing to referenda, the leaders are effectively endorsing the plan by putting it to the people.
The document the leaders must accept or reject on March 10 is titled 'Commitment to submit the Foundation Agreement to approval at separate simultaneous referenda in order to achieve a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus problem'.
It provides that the two sides "agree to put for approval… the attached Foundation Agreement… incorporating any alterations we may jointly agree by March 25…"
If the leaders say no to the referenda commitment on March 10, all bets are off and the Cyprus issue will be consigned to the scrap heap, since the plan is designed to see a reunited island sign the EU accession treaty on April 16.
Annan's move is seen as a subtle ploy that would make it difficult for either leader to deny his respective populations the right to vote on the plan in a referendum. In particular it appears to be an attempt to railroad Denktash, who has been adamant that he would not sign, despite calls to do so by the Turkish Cypriots.
Annan presented his new proposal at a meeting yesterday with Denktash, Papadopoulos and incumbent President Glafcos Clerides, who had been handling the negotiations up until now. Another meeting is scheduled for this morning.
But immediately after yesterday's meeting Denktash, while 40,000 to 50,000 of his people were out demonstrating for a solution in occupied Nicosia, denounced the latest developments as "trickery". Asked if Annan's plan offered any new incentives for Turkish Cypriots, he told reporters: "There is trickery... It's all sleight of hand."
The Turkish Cypriot leader later referred the move as "sugar coating the pill". "Whether we want it or not they want a commitment from us to take the issue to referendum. They want it done and dusted," he said. "They are telling us to ask the public, bypassing the government, bypassing the parliament, skipping our own decisions. The public hasn't read this, the public does not know the details or where this is going to lead. This must be further scrutinised, then a referendum," he said.
It was expected that intensive negotiations would take place during Annan's three-day visit but yesterday's meeting surprisingly finished after only 45 minutes.
Papadopoulos described his first meeting with Denktash after 27 years, as ''very good, very civilised and very humane.''
''The meeting dealt with procedural matters, we talked about how and when we will meet and this is why today's encounter was rather brief,'' he said, adding that there had been no discussion on the substance of the Cyprus problem. He said the plan would need further study.
According to Reuters Annan has privately warned that his involvement will wane if the two sides do not seize the opportunity. "The UN has made it clear that if the likelihood of a deal is reduced, it would reconsider the very significant resources that are now being directed to this," a source said.
United Democrats' leader, George Vassiliou, said he was very impressed by
Annan's decision not to ask for a commitment by the two sides on his new revised plan for a solution "but to ask for a commitment for a referendum".
"This way they make it easier for both of them to agree to a referendum and leave the people to decide," he told the Cyprus Mail. "I think it's a very wise move because it leaves all options open".
Speaking to reporters before the meeting of the National Council later yesterday Vassiliou said: "What I would like to stress is that what Mr. Annan is seeking is a commitment from the two sides to put the plan to a referendum".
He said this was different to past requests by the UN for a commitment on the plan before moving forward towards referenda.
After the meeting, chaired for the last time by Clerides, whose term of office expires today, government spokesman Michalis Papapetrou said the Council had exchanged views on the latest developments.
''The members, having studied the revised plan in detail, will convene anew next week'', he said.
CYPRUS MAIL 28/02/2003
'Save us from Denktash'
By Jean Christou
AROUND 40,000-50,000 Turkish Cypriots marched in occupied Nicosia yesterday urging UN Secretary-general Kofi Annan to save them by clinching an agreement to reunify the island.
Annan is on the island in a last-ditch attempt to get the leaders to agree to his reunification plan. As the Secretary-general yesterday met Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash and President elect Tassos Papadopoulos, the Turkish Cypriot demonstrators poured into a square in the occupied part of the capital.
The peaceful march, characterised by a sea of blue balloons and flags bearing EU symbols, was marred by the discovery of two small homemade bombs in the area where the protestors had gathered. Security forces took away the explosives without any incident.
Protestors carried banners saying 'Save us Mr Annan' and 'Dear Annan. We want to live as human beings'. Other placards called on Denktash to sign the UN deal or quit "Save us from him, Mr Annan," one said.
They also carried olive branches and chanted slogans such as "Hail brotherhood of peoples", "Denktash, resign" and "You cannot prevent peace". There were only a few Turkish or Turkish Cypriot flags in evidence at the march.
Shops and businesses closed while teachers also attended the rally, which was organised by trade unions and other civil society associations.
US State Department Co-ordinator for Cyprus Thomas Weston, accompanied by US Ambassador in Nicosia, Michael Klosson, went to the occupied areas to watch the rally.
An embassy spokesman told the Cyprus News Agency: "they were observing the right of the people in a democratic society to express the right to freedom of assembly and freedom of expression."
Speakers said the protest was a message to Denktash and they asked him to listen to the "people's will". Demonstrators jeered whenever reference was made to Denktash.
They also said that demonstrations would continue until a solution was found, while one speaker said, "If there is no solution, there will be a social uprising."
Attending the rally were the leader of the United Cyprus party Izzet Izcan, Mehmet Ali Talat of the Republican Turkish Party, Communal Liberation Party leader Hussein Angolemli and the Chairman of the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Commerce Ali Erel.
Talat said "today, history is being made". He told CNA that he believed Denktash did not want to sign the Annan plan.
It was the second-ever largest demonstration to be held in the north. In January this year, even more Turkish Cypriots, around one third of the population, took to the streets calling on Denktash to resign after he failed to ensure an agreement was signed during the EU summit in Copenhagen in December
CYPRUS MAIL 28/02/2003
The stakes don't come much higher than this
By George Psyllides
AFTER several months of haggling it appears crunch time has arrived for the two sides on the island.
United Nations Secretary-general Kofi Annan's arrival on the island has dispelled any doubts concerning the existence or not of developments in the Cyprus problem.
From the moment he set foot on the island, Annan has turned on the heat on Greek and Turkish Cypriots alike, leaving those who, throughout the election campaign, staunchly disputed the likelihood of critical developments with the huge responsibility of taking the decision on solving the Cyprus problem.
Ironically, President elect Tassos Papadopoulos, who had been branded the hardliner, appears more ready to play ball than his partner in the government, AKEL leader Demetris Christofias, whose party has always been seen as more conciliatory on the Cyprus problem.
The pair, who are now feeling the pressure away from the safety of the opposition benches, visited outgoing President Glafcos Clerides on Wednesday to discuss the developments and to ask him to go to the meeting with Annan.
Clerides is believed to have said that he would only go on condition Papadopoulos would not try to wriggle out of an agreement.
Clerides warned that if the UN Security Council blamed the Greek Cypriot side for the failure to reach an agreement, the consequences for Cyprus would be devastating.
Papadopoulos seemed to accept this position and that is probably why Clerides agreed to go to the meeting.
Christofias, on the other hand, appears to have insisted that the plan should be rejected outright.
Though publicly he says the plan should be negotiated, it is understood Christofias has told close associates he opposes the signing of a peace plan, creating a rift within his own party.
Annan, however, appears determined to resolve the issue one way or another.
With the apparent backing of the United States, Annan has made it clear this was the last chance, at least as long as he was UN Secretary-general.
"This is where it all ends," he said on Wednesday.
So it is crunch time for Cyprus, but it seems the leaders of both communities are unwilling to arrive to any sort of agreement on the plan as is.
Papadopoulos says it needs to be negotiated while Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash claims it is totally unfavourable for his side.
Denktash said that if he decided to reject the plan he would immediately hold a referendum so the Turkish Cypriot community could decide if he should remain their representative.
A 'yes' would mean approval of his policy while if the answer is 'no', then he has pledged to resign.
Professor of Turkish Studies at the University of Cyprus Niyazi Kizilyurek has struck a note of caution concerning Denktash's intentions.
Kizilyurek suggested Denktash had the power to get the result he wanted - a rejection of the Annan plan - out of the referendum.
He said Denktash's concern was not to see what Turkish Cypriots thought of the plan but to find a way out by rejecting the plan without having to say 'no'.
Kizilyurek suggested the Greek Cypriot side should make a clear expression of political will to help undermine Denktash and further encourage the Turkish Cypriot people in their effort to get rid of him.
"It's not the time to try to gain time; it's time to say the big 'yes' or the big 'no'," he said.
He argued that if Denktash had his way, he would go ahead to secure annexation of the occupied north by Turkey.
"He won't keep the status quo and give the chance to anyone in the future to speak of a solution," the professor said.
He added: "If the prospects for a solution are lost I don't know when again we will talk about a solution and under which conditions.
"I don't think the status quo will remain the same if the chance is lost; if Denktash wins, the north will be annexed," Kizilyurek said.
So the Greek Cypriot side is now left with a stark choice: either to pray Denktash will reject the proposals and take all the blame, or decide to take the plunge and be the first to agree, putting the Turkish Cypriot leader in a bind, considering the opposition he faces from his people.
Everything will ultimately be decided at the ballot box, but right now the loser will be the one who blinks first.
CYPRUS MAIL 28/02/2003