The letter to Guterres

Following criticism by opposition AKEL calling for President Anastasiades to share with the public a letter the President had sent to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, Kathimerini has obtained the text in question. 

In what is a frequent practice in Cyprus politics, the President in his message declares the willingness of the Republic to restart the Cyprus peace talks and voices his protest about the Turkish encroachment in the Cypriot EEZ.

On the substance of the Cyprus issue President Anastasiades recalls a number of proposals he had recommended in the past aimed at moving the process forward.

''With reference to the insistence by the Turkish Cypriot side that for any decision of any federal body/institution/organ one positive vote for each decision by either constituent state is necessary, I have repeatedly stressed that we are ready to examine for which at least one favourable vote from each constituent state to be in place in the vital interests of either constituent state or community are to be affected provided there is an effective deadlock resolving mechanism in place''.

Anastasiades also spoke of the issue of decentralization of the exercise of powers by the Central Government, a topic that has stirred reactions from proponents of a federal solution.

''Such a proposal entails that on the one hand the Central Government as subject to international law, will maintain those powers that are absolute necessary to safeguard the union and cohesion of the Federal State, while on the other hand each constituent state within its administrative area and in line with the principles of non –encroachment and subsidiarity will enjoy extended administrative autonomy''.

President Anastasiades proposes also another idea which in combination with decentralization he believes might have positive repercussions in breaking the impasse.

''The idea is to adopt a different system of power for the federal executive and namely a Parliamentary System with a permanent ceremonial Greek Cypriot President and Turkish Cypriot vice president and a rotating 4:2 Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister who are to be elected by the House of Representatives. Such a system would in fact bring the two communities and the political parties of both constituent states closer together, since there would be a need to forge ideological alliances irrespective of ethnicity''.

You can read the full letter here.