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Rendezvous without many prospects
Today the trilateral meal with Guterres – what could be expected in the Cyprus problem.
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Meal with low prospects
Anastasiades, Guterres, Tatar will meet for the bare minimum result. New envoy will search for prospects to resume talks.
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Guterres time in the Cyprus problem
The meal of the three. Low expectations from today’s informal trilateral, due to Turkish intransigence. First win for Turks the appointment of a special envoy of the UNSG instead of a ‘special representative’. President Anastasiades will reiterate his determination for a resumption of the process of negotiations, based on the United Nations framework and the agreement reached in Berlin on 25 November 2019.
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Main News
Expectations low for New York informal trilateral
Alithia, Haravgi, Phileleftheros, Politis
Negotiations Process
OVERVIEW
All dailies report that the informal trilateral lunch to be held between the UN Secretary General (UNSG) Antonio Guterres and the two leaders on Monday has a very low bar of expectations, with reports adding that Guterres will be moving to appoint a special envoy rather than a special representative.
Monday’s trilateral will begin at 8:15pm Cyprus time, lunch time in New York, with Phileleftheros reporting that the time of the meeting means that any measures will not be able to be taken and Cyprob developments will not be able to be discussed in depth. The paper writes that it is due to these constraints that a special envoy, who responds directly to the UNSG unlike a special representative that receives their mandate from the UN Security Council (UNSC), will be appointed in view of avoiding an impasse. The special envoy will seek to find prospects for a resumption of talks.
Alithia views the decision to appoint a special envoy rather than a special representative comes as a first win for Turkey. The paper writes that Guterres’ announcement on the appointment of a special envoy came after his meeting with TC leader Ersin Tatar on Saturday.
The dailies report that Tatar said the envoy to be appointed will take on the position previously held by Jane Holl Lute and will not enjoy more powers that her. Alithia concludes that this means that the special envoy will have close to no power.
Phileleftheros reports that the appointment of a special envoy was good news for all parties, since the UNSG is content that he will not have to bear the weight of an impasse, and the two leaders are similarly satisfied by the fact that the Cyprob process remains alive. The paper adds that an envoy is good news for the Turkish side since it will allow it to push onto the table issues outside the framework of UN resolutions.
Politis reports that Nicosia still has hope that a special representative will be appointed so that a bi-zonal, bicommunal federation (BBF) can be confirmed as the basis of talks. The paper adds that the trilateral will mainly see communication strategies rather than substantive discussions. It writes that such strategies defined many diplomatic moves and announcements issued in New York and which appear to point to how things will develop in the Cyprus problem but no one can be sure since they may just be strategic moves.
Indicatively, Politis points to Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan’s avoidance of a reference to two states and only to sovereign equality, which was interpreted by some as signs that Turkey has caved to US pressure to abandon this position. The paper writes that the same could be said of President Nicos Anastasiades’ reference to his desire to see a resumption of talks without any preconditions, which could be seen as stating that he is open to discuss any idea, which would be a big digression in Nicosia’s positions. Ultimately, the extent to which the two sides mean what they say will become clearer during Monday’s trilateral and in practice.
Alithia reports citing presidential sources that at the trilateral Anastasiades will be reiterating his determination to see a resumption of talks based on the UN framework and the agreement reached in Berlin on November 25, 2019. The paper adds that Guterres is expected to try and bridge the gap between the two sides by expanding on the appointment of a special representative or envoy.