GCC Press Review 2 Sept 2021

Front Page Headlines

Politis

Presidential politicking terms from the 60’s

A proposal that was a proposal became a figure of speech and then became a proposal once again that was rejected by Tatar and other… absurdities.

  • Son of Chr. Pashias: For 26 years we believed he would return
  • Cameroonians: Trapped in the buffer zone for three months

Phileleftheros

British framework in the works

London is planning its next moves in the Cyprus problem with ‘self-administrative entities’. Intense confrontation in the National Council.

  • Karolina Pelendritou, Princess of the pool: Gold medal and world record
  • “SOS, get me out of here, I want to leave, I want to eat”: Shocking case of a patient who died in hospital
  • The new variant ‘Mu’ under the WHO’s microscope

Haravgi

The President counters Christodoulides… It was a proposal not a ‘figure of speech’

AKEL warns of the danger of the proposal to return to the 60s Constitution.

  • Oil slick: Cyprus requesting technical assistance from the EU. Turkey sending special boats
  • What does the Interior Minister say about that distribution pf advantageous TC properties to DISY families?
  • The actions of GC and TC workers for world peace
  • COVID-19: Concern over the new ‘MU’ variant. It was located in Colombia
  • Karolina achieved a world record and a gold medal

Cyprus Mail

Tempers fray at leaders’ meeting

Tensions rise at National Council as discussion turns to 1960 return comments

  • Dead turtle found as oil slick breaking up and dissolving
  • Cyprus’ paralympic glory
  • Island narrowly misses vaccination target

Alithia

AKEL hears what it wants

National Council: Only the left-wing party misunderstood once again the explanations offered by President Anastasiades. No other party is continuing the matter of the 1960 constitution – Confrontation between Stefanou-President. Nicholas: It was a response by the president to highlight the irrational statements by Ersin Tatar. DIKO will not continue the matter.

  • Statements by authorities: Not worried about the oil slick
  • Decision on third dose today

Main News

Tensions high between govt, AKEL at National Council meeting

Alithia, Cyprus Mail, Haravgi, Phileleftheros, Politis
Negotiations Process

OVERVIEW

Tensions rose at the National Council meeting on Wednesday where President Nicos Anastasiades outlined his proposal over a possible restoration of the 1960 Constitution, the dailies report.

The National Council, presided by Anastasiades, convened to discuss the latest developments on the Cyprus problem, ahead of Anastasiades’ trip to New York later this month where he will attend the UN General Assembly and meet with UN Secretary General (UNSG) Antonio Guterres.

Government Spokesman Marios Pelekanos said after the meeting that despite the disagreements expressed, which the dailies report were mainly between Anastasiades and AKEL, the discussion took place at a politically acceptable level. Pelekanos said Anastasiades analysed the reasons behind his proposal to TC leader Ersin Tatar, which Pelekanos said came as a response to Tatar’s allegations that the Republic of Cyprus (RoC) is a GC state that disregards the rights of TCs.

Pelekanos said the proposal is part of the initiatives undertaken by Anastasiades aimed at resuming a dialogue that would avert the TC side from submitting partitionist proposals contrary to the Treaty of Establishment of the RoC and the February 2014 Joint Declaration, “which clearly prohibit the secession of part or all of the territory or the union of part or all of the territory with any state.”

He added that Anastasiades, on the basis of his response/proposal to Tatar, stressed to the National Council members that it is directly linked with the high-level agreements, the UN resolutions and the EU acquis, with a view to finding a functional and therefore viable solution, averting Turkish plans.

Pelekanos also said that Anastasiades will be informing the UN that he submitted the proposal in question and got a negative response, Politis and Phileleftheros reports.

Disagreement was particularly acute between Anastasiades and AKEL leader Stefanos Stefanou, who harshly criticised Anastasiades and the way he has handled the Cyprus problem since when he was first elected as President, Cyprus Mail and Phileleftheros report. Stefanou said after the meeting that he expressed his party’s disagreement with the policy pursued on the Cyprus issue, which he said is characterised by contradictions and conflicting approaches and policies.

Referring to Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides’ statements earlier this week that this reference by Anastasiades was a figure of speech to counter Tatar’s dismissive stand against the RoC and not an actual proposal, Stefanou said when asked at the meeting, Anastasiades said it was a proposal. He said the proposal diverts us from the resolutions and cancels the high-level agreements, adding that if Tatar insists on his statements, then the solution is not to go back to the 1960 Constitution but to resume negotiations in line with UN resolutions.

On his part, DIKO leader Nikolas Papadopoulos said after the meeting that the issue was over to them since there will be no follow-up on the basis of this suggestion. He said Anastasiades’ proposal was an attempt to highlight Tatar’s irrational positions. Cyprus Mail and Alithia report that he did call on Anastasiades, however, to refrain from “such ambiguous positions because they tend to steer attention away from important issues and give the opportunity to those who want to change the basis of the negotiations to invoke statements by the President of the Republic.”

Papadopoulos also called for escalation of the measures taken by the RoC to have a stronger impact on Turkey. Phileleftheros reports that Papadopoulos also called for initiatives that would stop Britain’s schemes, by targeting the British Bases.

DISY leader Averof Neophytou, said the goal was to continue efforts for a way to restart the negotiations for the settlement of the Cyprus problem within the UN framework and the agreed solution basis. Politis and Haravgi view Neophytou’s comment as evidence that he disagrees with Anastasiades’ handling of the situation.

EDEK leader Marinos Sizopoulos referred, among other things, to guarantor Britain’s “suspiciously undermining role at the expense of the RoC through various interventions.” He said Britain has been trying, during meetings with the two sides, to gradually introduce the notion of ‘sovereign equality’. “There are various methods which we believe will lead to potentially crucial developments which will undermine the state entity of the RoC,” Sizopoulos said.

ELAM leader Christos Christou welcomed the revocation of passports and called for the revocation of ID cards too, reiterating that his party’s long-standing position is that crossings should also be closed, Phileleftheros reports.

Politis reports that Anastasiades’ insistence on the way in which his new proposal is in line with UN resolutions and the EU acquis is nothing more than a communications strategy to manage the negative response received both from party leaders and certain members of the negotiating team.

Citing information, Politis reports that during Anastasiades’ meeting with the negotiating team on Tuesday night, many thoughts were heard that were both in favour and against the way Anastasiades was handing Cyprob matters. The paper writes that those against Anastasiades’ handlings were Panayiotis Demetriou, Toumazos Tsielepis, Aris Constantinides and Kostas Paraskevas, who agreed that the proposal was completely contradictory.

During Tuesday’s meeting with the negotiating team, the question also arose whether Anastasiades is referring to the 1960 Constitution or that of 1964 that functions via the doctrine of necessity, with Politis writing that it appears that Anastasiades is referring to the latter, which abolishes all provisions providing for the participation of TCs in government.

Politis reports that after the UNSG’s Special Envoy Jane Holl Lute decided not to visit Cyprus at this moment, the bar of expectations has been set incredibly low, with the GC side now hopeful for a trilateral meeting in New York where the two leaders will simply discuss the current state of things.

KEY ACTORS
Pelekanos
>>
1960 Constitution proposal part of Anastasiades’ initiatives aimed at resuming a dialogue that would avert the TC side from submitting partitionist proposals
>> Anastasiades stressed to National Council that proposal is directly linked with the high-level agreements, the UN resolutions and the EU acquis, with a view to finding a functional and therefore viable solution
>> Anastasiades will be informing the UN that he submitted the proposal and got a negative response

Stefanou (AKEL)
>> Expressed AKEL’s disagreement with the policy pursued by Anastasiades on the Cyprus issue, which is characterised by contradictions and conflicting approaches and policies
>> Anastasiades said 1960 Constitution idea was proposal, not figure of speech
>> Proposal diverts us from the resolutions and cancels the high-level agreements
>> If Tatar insists on his statements, then the solution is not to go back to the 1960 Constitution but to resume negotiations in line with UN resolutions

Papadopoulos (DIKO)
>> Issue is over to DIKO since there will be no follow-up on the basis of this suggestion
>> Anastasiades’ proposal was an attempt to highlight Tatar’s irrational positions
>> Calls on Anastasiades to refrain from such ambiguous positions because they tend to steer attention away from important issues and give the opportunity to those who want to change the basis of the negotiations to invoke statements by the President of the Republic
>> Measures should be escalated to have a stronger impact on Turkey
>> Initiatives also needed that would stop Britain’s schemes, by targeting the British Bases

Neophytou (DISY)
>> Goal is to continue efforts for a way to restart the negotiations for the settlement of the Cyprus problem within the UN framework and the agreed solution basis

Sizopoulos (EDEK)
>> Britain has been trying, during meetings with the two sides, to gradually introduce the notion of ‘sovereign equality’, undermining RoC

Christou (ELAM)
>> Welcomes revocation of passports; calls for revocation of ID cards too
>> ELAM’s long-standing position is that crossings should also be closed


GC, TC unions call for talks to resume without ‘blame games’

Cyprus Mail, Haravgi
Negotiations Process

OVERVIEW

GC and TC unions on Wednesday jointly called for reconciliation and cooperation to mark World Peace Day in memory of the millions of victims of Nazism.

During a joint news conference at the Home for Cooperation in Nicosia, the union representatives said only peace would serves the interests of peoples in Cyprus and in the region.

“The continuing division of our country, the economic difficulties, the continuing tension in the Mediterranean region, the danger of war, and migration are the realities experienced by the TC and GC workers,” the joint statement said.

They said the interest of the peoples of the region is served by conciliation and co-operation for the peaceful settlement of any disputes, through dialogue on the basis of reciprocity and rules of international law and not escalation of tensions and controversy.

The statement said that developments in Cyprus and in the region, reaffirm once again the need to reach a solution to the Cyprus problem, which would contribute to the de-escalation of tensions and promote stability and peace in the Eastern Mediterranean.

“The common struggle of the Cypriot workers for the solution and reunification of Cyprus is part of the struggle of the peoples of the world for world peace,” it said, adding that the avoidance of Cyprus negotiations and the blame games being played do not contribute to the solution.

Talks on resolving the Cyprus issue should resume as soon as possible from where they stopped in Crans-Montana, reaffirming the convergences that have been. “The absence of dialogue, the creation of new faits accomplis and the actions that separate one community from another will lead to the final division of our homeland,” it added.

The pandemic and the unprecedented conditions that have been created due to that have also highlighted the common class interests of Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot workers.

The joint declaration was signed by: PEO, DEVIS, KTAMS, KTOS, KTOEOS, BES, KOOP-SEN, DAU-SEN, AKEL, RTK, KKD, KEK, KNK, the Turkish Cypriot movement ‘Independent Road, Bi-Communal Peace Initiative, the ‘This country is Ours’ platform, and the youth wing of AKEL, EDON, AKEL’s women branch POGO and the farmers union EKA.


Prominent lawyer calls for establishment of Truth Commission

Alithia
Human Rights

OVERVIEW

Lawyer Achilleas Demetriades has called for the establishment of a Truth Committee that would allow a series of questions troubling relatives of missing persons to be answered, Alithia reports.

The paper writes that his suggestion comes after the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled on Tuesday that the Cypriot state caused distress to the family of a missing soldier killed in 1974 by leaving them in the dark about information as to where their relative, Christophis Vasilliou Pashias, could be buried. The court ordered that the state pay almost €60,000 in non-pecuniary damages and litigation expenses. Demetriades was the family’s attorney in the case.

Demetriades said the Republic of Cyprus (RoC) was found guilty because it did not inform the family on the 25-year delay in the investigation of the fate of the missing person. Besides the legal dimension of this, there is also a social dimension which can become clear through the establishment of a Truth Committee, among the GC side at first, as was done in South Africa and Columbia.

He said the aim is to find out the truth: “Why wasn’t the case investigated for 25 years, why wasn’t the list of missing persons made public for 26 years? These are important questions, that the RoC must in the case of Pashias respond to.” Demetriades added that those buried in the mass grave along with Pashias have the same rights.


Translate »