GCC Press Review 12 Sept 2021

Front Page Headlines

Sunday Mail

‘It was a huge shock for us’

Relatives of British woman whose body lies in Paphos morgue have been found

  • Cyprus marks 9/11 anniversary: American and Cypriot firefighters honoured at commemoration event
  • ‘No censorship in Cyprus’ minister says amid book row
  • Opinion: Another nail in the coffin of a bicommunal Cyprus

Simerini

‘Deceived’ investors preparing lawsuits

Golden passports: Only 150 applications approved from the 1300 that were pending.

  • Non-existent ‘enlightenment’: Philip Christopher, Menendez and Turko-bizonal
  • They’re afraid of Turkey and putting the EastMed to sleep
  • Theocharis Lalakos: “When you have an expansionist neighbour, you must have a capable deterring power”
  • Historical retrospective: Unknown pages in the relationship between Mustafa Kemal and Cyprus
  • Savvas Iacovides (opinion): Chr. Stylianides’ appointment by Mitsotakis has Annan-type dimensions
  • Nikos Peristianis (opinion): How to rethink the Cyprus problem, beginning from the end
  • Loria Markide (opinion): Ataturk: Hitler and Mussolini’s teacher
  • Petros Th. Pantelides (opinion): History and developments have shown that a viable solution is a utopia
  • Georghios Colocassides (opinion): The Constitution of 1960?
  • Andreas M. Vassiliou (opinion): Turkey will never depart peacefully

Politis

No flirt with DIKO in view of presidential elections

The first interview of AKEL’s GS Stefanos Stefanou with ‘P’.

  • The Co-op bank’s ghost awakes: The new investigations in Russia, the mafia, and the kalashnikovs
  • Kemal, Venizelos, and Prodromos
  • Stylianides: The reactions and the scenarios
  • Interview: Christodoulos Protopapas: “I will be a candidate in the presidential elections of 2023”

Phileleftheros

Stress test for the UN

Turkish threats and pressures on UNFICYP so that it accepts sovereign equality. The UN are cooking the fish on their lips with Parker, games also in the Security Council.

  • Human trafficking haunting Cyprus: All trafficking victims coming from the occupied areas
  • Overturn of power balance from Turkey
  • Britain not ‘playing’ honourably in the Cyprus problem
  • Nicos Tornaritis: Return to 1960 a suggestion by Kasoulides

Kathimerini

This is the British approach

Stephen Lillie reveals to ‘K’ that they’re discussing a decentralised federation and not confederation.

  • Turkey: Heated autumn for Athens and Nicosia
  • Cyprus problem: Negotiations a difficult equation
  • His ‘weapon’ is his European experience: The major achievement of Christos Stylianides was the creation of RescEU

Haravgi

With the proposal for a return to 1960, the UN is becoming inert

T. Tselepis: Hopes for a resumption of an effective negotiations process are decreasing even more.

  • Cyprus problem: The President of the Republic wants to buy time with the 60s Constitution
  • Occupied areas: Promotion of nationalism in the new History textbooks
  • Criminal omissions in the burials of the dead of the invasion

Alithia

Three priests and six nuns in hospital due to coronavirus

Surge of cases at a monastery in the Larnaca district. Concerns that the dimension of the problem will be much greater. Priests of the bishopric of Morphou continue their action against vaccinations, the Union of Cyprus Communities reports.

  • P. Prodromou on the textbook: Tearing was wrong, withdrawing was correct
  • Political analysis: Are hydrocarbons carbons?

Main News

Lillie: Britain’s ideas point to decentralised federation


Haravgi, Kathimerini, Phileleftheros
Negotiations Process

OVERVIEW

British High Commissioner to Cyprus Stephen Lillie said the much discussed and often distorted British ideas for the Cyprus problem fall within UN parameters for a bi-zonal, bicommunal federation (BBF) with political equality, which he said constitutes the only viable option.

In an interview with Kathimerini, Lillie said Britain’s input on the matter takes the form of informal ideas and has not submitted a formal proposal or plan. These ideas, he said, aim towards encouraging the resumption of talks. Stressing that Britain’s ideas fall within UN parameters, Lillie said that it is not enough to simply repeat the term ‘BBF’ as a mantra or slogan, adding that it is vital to see how such a solution could be practically implemented.

Clarifying that Britain does not support a two-state solution, Lillie said that to a large extent, Britain is discussing a decentralised federation, which cannot be considered a controversial proposal given that it is an idea submitted by President Nicos Anastasiades. He said this idea must be discussed further, since it allows the two communities to enjoy a high level of autonomy as regards their daily affairs while maintaining Cyprus as a single sovereign state internationally. Lillie said he considers a decentralised federation as an appropriate balance between the aspirations of the two sides.

Lilli also said that Britain is also not proposing a solution between a BBF and a two-state solution, noting that a BBF is already a compromise between a single state and two states, as clarified in numerous UN Security Council (UNSC) resolutions. Responding to concerns regarding Britain’s reference to ‘two states internally, one state externally,’ Lillie said that this is what a BBF constitutes. Also defending the reference to that fact that neither entity will exert authority over the other, Lillie said it was already agreed in the joint declaration of 2014 that sovereignty stems from both communities equally, and does not belong to only one community.

Lille said that the GC side’s insistence that talks should resume from where they left off in Crans Montana is a recipe for long and unsuccessful discussions, but said there is an existing body of work which paved the way for Crans-Montana, such as the UN Secretary General’s (UNSG) six-point framework, which can still be built upon and developed. He added that flexibility and creativity is needed, as is a focus on the points that contributed to the collapse of talks at Crans-Montana, and specifically security, guarantees and the model of governance.  

Commenting on the current situation, Lillie said he finds it concerning, noting that time seems to be working in favour of those satisfied by partition rather than those seeking a solution. But, he said, he continues to believe that with energy, creativity, flexibility and political will, a Cyprob solution is achievable, stressing that the UK will support every effort towards this end.

Meanwhile, in an interview with Phileleftheros, DISY MP Nicos Tornaritis said it was the former Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides who first suggested the proposal of going back to the 1960 Constitution. He said the main obstacle at the moment is the Turkish position for two states, and so strategic moves are needed.

In an interview with Haravgi, head of AKEL’s Cyprus problem office and member of Anastasiades’ broader negotiating team, Toumazos Tsielepis said that the proposal for a return to the 1960 Constitution will not only not break the impasse, but it will diminish even further any hopes for the resumption of negotiations, since the GC side will appear to be proposing a single state, which is as unacceptable as the Turkish side’s two-state solution. This is the picture being received by the international community, he said, which is far removed from the UN’s call to the two leaders to work towards finding common ground. The proposal, is a sure path towards definitive partition, he said. Tsielepis said the TC side cannot accept this proposal because they will never recognise the Republic of Cyprus before a solution is reached.

Regarding Britain’s ideas, Tsielepis said that in no way do they ensure the transformation of the Republic of Cyprus, adding that they are not new ideas but long-standing positions of former TC leader Rauf Denktas which had been rejected by the UN.

In another article, Phileleftheros reports citing information that Turkey has begun pressuring the UN to accept its claim for sovereign equality. The paper writes that in the framework of Turkey’s tactic of imposing its positions, the country is working towards getting the UN and UNFICYP as uninvolved as possible in Cyprus by making its life as difficult as possible, making way for its two-state solution.

Specifically, the paper reports that the TC side is not clarifying whether it consents to the appointment of Melissa Parke to the post of UN Special Representative in Cyprus, even though the decision essentially lies with the UN, since the taking into consideration the opinions of the two sides is a mere formality. Phileleftheros reports that the GC side has sent a letter consenting to the appointment.

Regarding UNFICYP, Phileleftheros reports that Turkey has been pressuring the peacekeeping force to abandon its camp in Famagusta so that it can move forward with developing the area, though such a move would make it difficult for UNFICYP to fulfil its obligations.

On the meetings to be held in New York, the paper reports citing well-informed sources that despite the UN Secretary General’s (UNSG) concerns, he will most likely call for a joint meeting with the two leaders.

KEY ACTORS
Lillie (UK)

>> British ideas for the Cyprus problem fall within UN parameters for a BBF with political equality, which constitutes the only viable option
>> Britain’s input is through informal ideas that aim to encourage the resumption of talks and has not submitted a formal proposal or plan
>> It is not enough to simply repeat the term ‘BBF’ as a mantra or slogan, it is vital to see how such a solution could be practically implemented
>> Britain does not support a two-state solution
>> Britain is discussing a decentralised federation, which cannot be considered a controversial proposal given that it is an idea submitted by Anastasiades
>> Decentralised federation is an appropriate balance between the aspirations of the two sides
>> Britain’s reference to ‘two states internally, one state externally’ responds to what a BBF would in practice constitute
>> Britain’s reference to that fact that neither entity will exert authority over the other is based on an agreement stated in the joint declaration of 2014 that sovereignty stems from both communities equally, and does not belong to only one community
>> GC side’s insistence that talks should resume from where they left off is a recipe for long and unsuccessful discussions; talks should develop on the existing body of work, such as the UNSG six-point framework
>> Flexibility and creativity is needed, as is a focus on the points that contributed to the collapse of talks at Crans-Montana, and specifically security, guarantees and the model of governance
>> Current situation is concerning, time seems to be working in favour of those satisfied by partition rather than those seeking a solution
>> Believes that with energy, creativity, flexibility and political will, a Cyprob solution is achievable & the UK will support every effort towards this end

Tornaritis (DISY)
>> It was Kasoulides who first suggested the proposal of going back to the 1960 Constitution
>> Main obstacle at the moment is the Turkish position for two states & so strategic moves are needed

Tsielepis (AKEL)
>>  Proposal for a return to the 1960 Constitution will not only not break the impasse, but it will diminish even further any hopes for the resumption of negotiations, since the GC side will appear to be proposing a single state, which is as unacceptable as the Turkish side’s two-state solution
>> The proposal is a sure path towards definitive partition
>> The TC side cannot accept this proposal because they will never recognise the Republic of Cyprus before a solution is reached
>> Britain’s ideas in no way do they ensure the transformation of the Republic of Cyprus
>> Britain’s ideas are not new but long-standing positions of former TC leader Rauf Denktas which had been rejected by the UN


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