Front Page Headlines
British owners may have to sell
Brexit rules mean those with holiday homes restricted over how much time they can spend there.
- Two freezers arrive to store coronavirus vaccine
- Comment: A glimmer of hope for Cyprus talks
Country faced with risk of destabilisation
Responsibility lies with government of corruption and conflict of interest, but also with an opposition of arbitrariness, micropolitics and irresponsibility.
- Five-party meeting in the logic of two states
- Cyprus Problem – Analysis: What does the proposed “two-state solution” mean?
- Christmas 1963: The first coup d’etat to dissolve the Republic of Cyprus
- American sanctions: US-Turkey relations and R. T. Erdogan
- Vaccines – Pandemic: “Beginning of the end” on December 27
- Savvas Iacovides (opinion): Why Europe kneels in front of Sultan T. Erdogan’s blackmail?
- Dr. Avgoustinos (Dinos) Avgousti (opinion): Again on the Greek unit
- Andreas Theophanous (opinion): Turkish revisionism, the EU and us
- Vasilios L. Constantopoulos (opinion): The US and the Greece-Turkey balance of power
Going for five-party meeting, CBMs also on the table
Jane Holl Lute returns for (discussing) dates. Message came from Brussels to Nicosia that Turkish President Tayip Erdogan wants a last effort on Cyprus Problem. It was seen as advisable and useful that the conference be convened after US presidency taken over by Joe Biden. High Representative Josep Borrell did not give up efforts to put together multi-party conference on Eastern Mediterranean. Confidence-building measures.
- President of DISY Averof Neofytou speaks to “P”: The passports, the criminals and our humiliation – KEP (Cyprus Investment Programme) benefited the economy. At the same time, it humiliated the country due to criminal exploitation – “Since the summer, beginning of summer, and before the Al Jazeera issue had come up, we made an assessment that Nicolas took another road” – “After this development, the vote against, I am more concerned with image of country and its rating”.
- Nicolas Papadopoulos: The mysterious Mr. Tommy Chen and the battle against corruption
- Vaccines: Why the EU delays their approval?
Natural gas through Famagusta
Attempt to connect issues by Turkey, informal five-party conference the first step. Lute “convinced” that all want a conference. Ships also on EU’s list for Turkey. ENI and TOTAL to rent drillship.
- Battle plan: Countdown for vaccinations – Special fridges for Pfizer vaccines arrived
- Sener Elcil: Unofficially there has been an annexation of the occupied areas
- Uncle Sam’s stick for Turkey – Wider Russian activities targeted, influencing Cyprus as well – Gains expected for Greece through upgrade in American military presence.
- Poll-alert for government: 84% of citizens ask for folders to be handed over to Odysseas – Majority in favour of five-party meeting with terms and conditions – Going in the wrong direction, citizens assert.
- Nicolas Papadopoulos: “What is irresponsible is the government’s stance” – Interview with “Ph” during rush of developments.
Beginning of the end in a week
“K” opens the big issue of life with the pandemic in its labour, psychological, political and social aspects.
- Budget: Backroom dealings and agreements
- Auditor General: Legal underpinnings for dismissal of Odysseas
- Budget returning soon, vaccinated – C. Petrides: Need for it to be voted within January
- Athens seeking exploratory talks – After January 20
- Andreas Hadjikyriakos (interview): Legislative elections of candidates rather than parties
- 60 years RoC: The backstage story of Crans Montana
- Cyprus Problem: Two states a distant possibility
- CAATSA sanctions: Increased costs for Erdogan
Those who shamed the country should answer for it
- Either approval of budget or resignation
- (Interviews: Nicos Tornaritis, Yiorgos Loukaidis) Voting (against) budget a responsible or irresponsible act?
- “Slow divorce between Turkey and West” expected in 2021?
- “How many migrants can we yet handle?” in the midst of misinformation
Full steam ahead to the Supreme Court
Government-Odysseas prepare their legal approach. Government closer to an appeal to remove Odysseas. Audit Office says it’s ready with witnesses. Covering for Hasapopoulos and Tassos’s law firm.
- Panic in Britain: New virus strain spreads 70% faster: Fridges for vaccines arrived – Two deaths and 419 new coronavirus cases yesterday – 115 patients hospitalised – 22 in serious condition
- “Shots” by Spiegel: EU did not buy sufficient number of vaccines
- Marinos Sizopoulos (interview): Folders for all scandals should open
- Political analysis: Another lesson in European diplomacy
Main News
GC side preparing CBMs, Turkey taking gas to ‘5+1’
Kathimerini, Phileleftheros, Politis
Negotiations Process, Energy, CBMs
Politis reports that the G/C side is intending to go to a five-party conference with proposals for confidence-building measures (CBMs) related to the issue of Varosha as well as the opening of Tymbou airport to international flights.
President Anastasiades has reportedly told UNSG envoy Jane Holl Lute and UNFICYP head Elizabeth Spehar that the G/C side’s proposal will be submitted to the UN before or during the five-party meeting. The proposal will essentially provide for Varosha and its port being taken over by the UN in return for giving a special UN-administered status to Tymbou airport so that it receive international flights.
The G/C side is basing its proposal on UN Security Council resolution 789 which provides for the UN expanding its jurisdiction over the fenced-off city.
According to Politis, the thinking behind these proposals is that they would jointly give an economic boost to the entire island, open tourism for the north which would boost the T/C economy, and begin the reconstruction of Famagusta.
However, the newspaper points out, the T/C position on Tymbou is that it should open under T/C administration, which is something that the RoC cannot accept. Politis also points out that former T/C leader Mustafa Akinci had made proposals to bring Varosha and Tymbou at the table, but that at the beginning those were rejected by Turkey, while later the G/C side did not respond since a new process was about to start.
The G/C side also appears ready to take further moves that would help end the embargo on the T/C community, including through the increase of products that can be exported, including halloumi.
Politis points out that natural gas could end up on the the table along with other CBMs, through a proposal to use block 12 to provide energy to Cyprus.
Politis also reports, citing information, that Turkish President Tayip Erdogan told European Council President Charles Michel in a phone call that he will give another chance to a federal solution but that he wants political assurances on the future of the T/Cs in case of a new failure. Erdogan also reportedly said he would not move ahead with Varosha before this new effort ends.
Phileleftheros on the other hand reports that Turkey is promoting connecting Varosha with natural gas instead of Tymbou. The newspaper writes that Turkey is attempting behind the scenes to connect the issues in order to achieve its involvement in the RoC’s energy programme.
According to the newspaper, after Lute’s contacts, the UN seems to be planning to convene an informal five-party conference towards the end of January or the beginning of February in Geneva.
Phileleftheros also reports that the technical discussion has begun in Brussels towards adding new entries on the list of targeted sanctions to persons and companies that are illegally active within the Cypriot EEZ on behalf of Turkey. According to information cited by the newspaper, some member states believe that the companies owning ships taking part in illegal exploration should also be added to the list.
Also, according to the same report, ENI and TOTAL are getting ready to rent a drillship ahead of their return to block 6 of the Cypriot EEZ. Italian-owned ENI and French TOTAL reportedly want to encourage US company ExxonMobil to become involved in drilling in the area.
Phileleftheros adds that the country that most intensely disagreed with the prospect of sanctions on Turkey was Italy, due to its stance surrounding the Libyan civil war as well as due to the economic relations of the two countries.
Meanwhile, Kathimerini reports that government sources insist that despite Turkish statements to the contrary, the prospect of a two-state solution is distant. The same sources told the newspaper that the aim at this stage is for a decentralised federation and that Nicosia is investing in the influence of the EU and the US during a new process.
At the same time, in an interview with Phileleftheros, the head of the T/C teachers’ union Sener Elcil said that the annexation of the north by Turkey has already happened and that there will never be an independent state in the north. Elcil pointed out that today T/Cs are only 130,000 out of 600,000 residents of the north, and that Turkey is now openly threatening anyone who disagrees with its policies.
Elcil argued that it is not possible to hold fair elections in the north due to the influence of Turkey.
Poll: Yes to five-party conference under certain conditions
Phileleftheros
Negotiations Process
OVERVIEW
Phileleftheros publishes a poll, conducted by Cypronetwork, focused on the question of whether the government should hand over documents related to the golden passports scandal to the Auditor General – an issue that led to the rejection of the state budget last week.
The vast majority of respondents, 84%, want the government to hand over the relevant documents to the Auditor General. The survey also included questions on the possibility of a five-party conference on the Cyprus Problem and whether the G/C side should take part in such a meeting if called by the UNSG.
More specifically, on the question of whether the G/C side should participate giving terms and preconditions, 55% said that it should, 20% were against participation and 25% said they do not know or declined to answer.
Asked whether the G/C side should participate in a conference without setting terms and preconditions, 21% were positive, 51% were against and 28% said they didn’t know or declined to answer.
The newspaper notes that the highest percentages against the participation of the G/C side in a conference without terms and preconditions were found among supporters of DIKO, Citizens’ Alliance, Solidarity and the Greens, and that these percentages ranged from 70% to 73%.
The survey was conducted during the period December 3-16 with the participation of 800 persons interviewed in person and over the telephone.