Pavlos Xanthoulis
President Christodoulides knows what he aims for regarding the Cyprus issue, so there is no reason for concern! He stated this after the informal tripartite dinner with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Ersin Tatar in New York, emphasizing that "we know where we aim, and let's hope for positive developments towards the resumption of talks." In New York, our president called for a restart of negotiations based on the agreed framework of a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation, "from where we left off in Crans Montana." Ersin Tatar reiterated and analyzed the Turkish narrative for two separate states, but this did not surprise President Christodoulides, as he noted.
The truth is that no one surprised us. Neither President Christodoulides, nor Ersin Tatar, nor the UN Secretary-General. However, Antonio Guterres was the only one among the three who actually indicated what we could aim for and hope for. He told the other two, as mentioned in his statement, calling on Christodoulides and Tatar "to consider how to bridge the gap in their positions and restore trust to allow for movement leading to a resolution." In other words, he urged both sides to compromise and "bridge" the gap between the bi-zonal, bi-communal federation, which President Christodoulides insists upon, and the two-state solution advocated by Turkey's appointee in the occupied territories. He did not specify where they should meet; he implied it. Those who know a few things about the Cyprus issue don’t need a measuring tape. They can easily grasp what the "middle ground" between the two sides' positions is.
Thus, a confederation seems to be considered the "bridge" that will unite the two parties’ positions. This is something that the Foreign Office has clearly indicated for several years, as it is seen as something that can be easily passed off as a success for both sides through constructive ambiguity. One side could claim it secures a federation, albeit a loose one, while the other could argue that it ensures its goal of sovereign equality.
Anyone who thinks that the UN Secretary-General's "bridging" position means he has strayed from his own mandates, the agreed framework, Security Council resolutions, and the bi-zonal, bi-communal federation, and that he is hinting at a solution "outside the framework," is clearly correct. And yes, the position adopted by Antonio Guterres is unacceptable. Undoubtedly. However, it cannot be denied that he is the only one among the three at the informal dinner who has given us a realistic picture of the international community's intentions regarding where a new potential effort for a solution to the Cyprus issue could "aim." Sincerely and without beating around the bush.
Consequently, President Christodoulides' statement after the informal tripartite dinner that "we know where we aim" is, at the very least, misleading. Because both the aim and the targeting gain meaning only when accompanied by an analysis of the actual data about "where we can go and what we can hope for."
Therefore, those of us who took the trouble to read Antonio Guterres' statement, no matter how much we disagree with its content, cannot overlook that it outlines the parameters through which one might today hope for a solution to the Cyprus issue. Parameters that cannot bring smiles, as they deviate from the Security Council resolutions and the mandates of the Secretary-General himself and from the solution framework (bi-zonal, bi-communal federation) that had been characterized as the ultimate concession of the Greek Cypriot side.
Nevertheless, none of this prevented our president from declaring himself "happy" (!) and expressing hope for positive developments, because, as he said, "we know where we aim." And thus, we can now be at ease! Because our president is handling everything, he claims to know where we aim, even though he avoids telling us where he is ultimately leading us.
[This op-ed was translated from its Greek original]
