Yiannis Ioannou
Cyprus’ two leaders spent more than three hours in talks Monday at the residence of Khassim Diagne, the U.N. secretary-general’s special representative in Cyprus. The meeting was led by Maria Angela Holguin, the secretary-general’s personal envoy.
The leaders agreed on several measures to build trust, including opening two of the four crossings under discussion. They also addressed what renewed negotiations would cover and how they would be conducted. Experienced observers told Kathimerini that expectations had faded for a wider international conference in the so-called 5+1 format before the end of the year. But a meeting between the two leaders and U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres would keep the process alive and could clear the way for a broader gathering in the new year.
A partial deal
Of the four crossings discussed—Mia Milia, Athienou–Pyroi–Aglantzia, Louroudjina–Lympia, and Kampos–Karavostasi—only two were announced Monday afternoon. They are Louroudjina–Lympia and Kampos–Karavostasi.
The two leaders also agreed to meet with Guterres within weeks, as Kathimerini reported Sunday. Sources told the newspaper that the meeting could pave the way for a wider 5+1 gathering after Guterres leaves office.
The leaders agreed to share archival material through the Technical Committee on Cultural Heritage and move ahead with projects to be carried out by the Technical Committee on the Environment. The Imagine program will resume under the oversight and guidelines of the Technical Committee on Education. The leaders will also instruct the Technical Committee on Crisis Management to set up a system for responding quickly to emergencies. The cultural heritage committee will take on the restoration of several Maronite churches and an Armenian monastery alongside its other work.
Mine clearance remains a major unresolved issue. The two remaining crossings are expected to come up at the meeting with Guterres, alongside questions about what formal negotiations would cover and how they would proceed.
Holguín turns up the pressure
Veteran observers of the Cyprus issue took note of how much pressure Holguín put on both sides over the weekend. In interviews with Turkey’s ANKA news agency and the Greek Cypriot newspaper Politis, the veteran Colombian diplomat signaled she could walk away if the leaders failed to reach an agreement by midday Monday. She also undercut the Greek Cypriot side’s position on a crossing at Kokkina, saying it had never been on the table. President Nikos Christodoulides played down that remark Monday morning.
In their talks with Holguín, the leaders went beyond practical measures and got into the substance and format of future negotiations. According to Kathimerini’s sources, they examined political equality, a red line for the Turkish Cypriot side, as well as the four conditions Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman has set for resuming negotiations, which the Greek Cypriot side has rejected.
