GCC Press Review 22 Nov 2021

Front Page Headlines

Politis

They’re creating laws to avoid new embarasment

New Parliamentary parties will move with… borrowed money for seven months.

  • Interview-Moudouros: This is how we got to the ‘TRNC’
  • Critical meeting for measures: ‘Door’ to the unvaccinated

Phileleftheros

The noose is tightening at schools

Masks in primary schools, without school events. Christmas at home for the unvaccinated. Decisions by the Cabinet on Wednesday to deal with the rampant increase in cases.

  • Cyprus problem 2017-2018: Disagreements growing in the shadows of Crans-Montana
  • The impending geopolitical storm of war

Haravgi

Expensiveness and the pandemic brought restaurants ‘to their knees’

Chain increases have strongly problematised the food industry.

  • AKEL: The President should respond to timely questions for the failure in Crans-Montana
  • The creation of a military base in Karpasia will be destructive for the environment
  • The fear for a fifth wave of the pandemic is bringing new measures

Alithia

‘Fiction writers and paraphrasers’

Counter-attack by the President for Crans-Montana. The documents show that Turkey had no intention of responding to the UNSG’s proposals. “With such a solution Cyprus would be turned in to a Turkish protectorate”.

  • Presidential elections 2023: Five potential candidates speak to Alithia
  • They’re locking new measures today: A small extension will be given to the unvaccinated

Main News

Anastasiades lays blame for Crans-Montana on Turkey

Alithia, Haravgi, Phileleftheros, Politis
Negotiations Process

OVERVIEW

President Nicos Anastasiades on Sunday said it was evident in the UN minutes on the meetings in Crans Montana that Turkey had no intention of responding to the UN Secretary General’s (UNSG) proposals, the dailies report.

Replying to journalists in an event hosted by the large families’ organisation, on criticism by the opposition concerning the deadlock in the 2017 Conference on Cyprus in Crans-Montana, Anastasiades said that what’s important are the records of the official minutes.

He said that it is evident in the minutes that the GC side was consistent and submitted written proposals on the entire Guterres framework on all issues. He also referred to the adoption by the UNSG of the GC side’s demand that the anachronistic system of guarantees and the presence of troops should at some point be terminated. The minutes clearly show that Turkey had no intention of responding to the UNSG’s proposals, he said.

Anastasiades also said that in view of the presence of a sizeable number of settlers, the Turkish demand for a positive vote, the permanent presence of troops as well as guarantor rights, “you realise that a possible acceptance of a solution with the respective content would turn Cyprus into a vassal state or a protectorate of Turkey.”

He added that the documents speak for themselves. Anastasiades also spoke of “mythmakers or distorters of the UN documents who read and pretend that they don’t understand”.

“History has recorded some facts and I repeat, my wish was that the GC would be vindicated as was our intention,” he concluded.

The dailies report that AKEL, however, said on Sunday that it is not important how each one interprets the internal notes taken by the UN during the Crans-Montana meetings, but rather what is important is how the UN and the UNSG evaluated the presence of involved parties at Crans-Montana. The party pointed to the report issued by the UNSG after the conference, and which dubbed Anastasiades co-responsible for the collapse of the process and praised guarantor powers, including Turkey, for their stance.

AKEL also said that the minutes now being published do not in the least confirm Anastasiades’ narrative regarding the discussion on the termination of guarantees and intervention rights. The party said that since the UNSG considers Anastasiades co-responsible for the collapse of Crans-Montana talks, an evaluation on which the international community is also basing its moves, then anyone can understand why the GC side has an international problem of credibility and persuasiveness.

AKEL called on Anastasiades to leave the monologues and respond to three questions: Why the UNSG placed blame for the impasse on both leaders, why Anastasiades did nothing to change the UN’s narrative for Crans-Montana, and why the GC side is not persuasive and lacks credibility.

The dailies report that on its part, DISY accused AKEL of continuing to criticise Anastasiades and essentially the GC side, leaving Turkey unharmed by what happened at Crans-Montana. DISY posed the question of what exactly is the end goal of AKEL’s tactic of trying to incriminate Anastasiades, when it is clear that Turkey’s obvious aim was among other things to retain the presence of its troops, and to maintain guarantees and intervention rights.

Phileleftheros reports that both DIKO and EDEK saw the UN minutes that were published on Sunday as confirming their positions held then and now. DIKO said Anastasiades gave everything in the chapter of governance and he not only did not receive anything in return, but he only increased Turkey’s appetites. The party added that Turkey torpedoed the negotiations by insisting on troops and guarantees, while the UN congratulated Turkey and threw blame for the collapse on the GC side, noting that it is the same UN that are today claiming that they can ‘square the circle’. DIKO said the above are the results of the wrong strategy followed by the GC side.

EDEK said the minutes confirm for the umpteenth time that the Guterres framework cannot provide a basis for substantive negotiations. The party also wondered how it is possible, after everything that is being published, that some parties continue to believe that the Guterres framework could constitute a basis for discussion for the resolution of the Cyprus problem. The party reiterated its call for an international conference on Cyprob to discuss the problem’s international dimension.

KEY ACTORS
Anastasiades

>> It is evident in the minutes that the GC side was consistent and submitted written proposals on the entire Guterres framework on all issues
>> The UNSG adopted the GC side’s demand that the anachronistic system of guarantees and the presence of troops should at some point be terminated
>> The minutes clearly show that Turkey had no intention of responding to the UNSG’s proposals
>> The presence of a sizeable number of settlers, the Turkish demand for a positive vote, the permanent presence of troops & guarantor rights, mean that a accepting a solution with such content would turn Cyprus into a vassal state or a protectorate of Turkey
>> The documents speak for themselves

AKEL
>> It is not important how each one interprets the internal notes taken by the UN during the Crans-Montana meetings, but rather how the UN & UNSG evaluated involved parties
>> UNSG’s report after the conference dubbed Anastasiades co-responsible for the collapse of the process and praised guarantor powers, including Turkey, for their stance
>> The minutes now being published do not in the least confirm Anastasiades’ narrative regarding the discussion on the termination of guarantees and intervention rights
>> Since the UNSG considers Anastasiades co-responsible for the collapse of Crans-Montana talks, an evaluation on which the international community is also basing its moves, then anyone can understand why the GC side has an international problem of credibility and persuasiveness

DISY
>> AKEL of continues to criticise Anastasiades & essentially the GC side, leaving Turkey unharmed by what happened at Crans-Montana
>> What exactly is the end goal of AKEL’s tactic of trying to incriminate Anastasiades, when it is clear that Turkey’s obvious aim was among other things to retain the presence of its troops, & to maintain guarantees and intervention rights

DIKO
>> Anastasiades gave everything in the chapter of governance and he not only did not receive anything in return, but he only increased Turkey’s appetites
>> Turkey torpedoed the negotiations by insisting on troops and guarantees, while the UN congratulated Turkey and threw blame for the collapse on the GC side
>> It is the same UN that are today claiming that they can ‘square the circle’
>> These are the results of the wrong strategy followed by the GC side

EDEK
>> The minutes confirm for the umpteenth time that the Guterres framework cannot provide a basis for substantive negotiations
>> Reiterated call for an international conference on Cyprob to discuss the problem’s international dimension


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