{"id":28626,"date":"2016-05-26T18:43:08","date_gmt":"2016-05-26T18:43:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.firdevstalkturkey.com\/?p=28626"},"modified":"2016-05-26T18:43:08","modified_gmt":"2016-05-26T18:43:08","slug":"never-ending-hurdles-for-a-cyprus-settlement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.firdevstalkturkey.com\/never-ending-hurdles-for-a-cyprus-settlement\/","title":{"rendered":"Never-ending hurdles for a Cyprus settlement"},"content":{"rendered":"
Jonathan Powell, chief of staff at the time of the Good Friday agreement on Northern Ireland, is often quoted<\/a> as saying that \u201cthere is no conflict in the world, however long lasting, however bloody, however frozen that cannot be resolved\u201d.<\/p>\n Yet, the Cyprus problem, despite countless attempts to resolve it, still continues to be so daunting as to seem almost insoluble.<\/p>\n My recent visit to Cyprus has coincided with the most sensitive period of the latest peace process. After a change of government in the North, there was the unsettling results of parliamentary elections in the Greek Cypriot south, to be followed by an unexpected cancellation of the latest round of negotiations on Monday.<\/p>\n Just as the prospects for a comprehensive peace settlement seemed stronger than ever, once again, a highly vitriolic political discourse has replaced the measured language of negotiation and cooperation.<\/p>\n The latest flare-up in otherwise productive talks to reach a peace deal by December 31 happened over a breach of protocol during the UN World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul.<\/p>\n President of Cyprus, Nicos Anastasiades, who was in Turkey attending the summit, cut his visit short when he found out that the Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci was invited to a dinner hosted by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.<\/p>\n The Cyprus government spokesman Nicos Christodoulides blamed the UN for its poor handling of the event, allowing the host country Turkey to \u201cdowngrade the Republic of Cyprus, or upgrade the internationally unrecognized Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus\u201d during the summit.<\/p>\n Deputy UN spokesman Farhan Haq\u2019s explanation that the UN had not organized the dinner, had not invited Akinci, and had not arranged the reported meeting between the Turkish Cypriot leader and Secretary-General Ban on the sidelines, did not satisfy Mr. Anastasiades.<\/p>\n As well as leaving the summit early, he cancelled his scheduled meetings with the UN special envoy for Cyprus Espen Barth-Eide on Thursday and with Mustafa Akinci on Friday.<\/p>\n Described as \u201csneaky tricks to create a precedent\u201d by the Greek Cypriot spokesman, the move by Mr. Erdogan to send a plane to bring Mr. Akinci to Istanbul was dismissed as \u201ca bit of Turkish mischievousness\u201d by some, but it was enough to risk derailing the talks.\u00a0Mr. Akinci strongly criticized the departure of Mr. Anastasiades for being \u201cunmeasured\u201d. \u00a0Cyprus Mail<\/a> commented that the decision to cancel meetings with Mr Eide and Mr Akinci was \u201cunhelpful\u201d, but almost all Greek Cypriot parties applauded President Anastasiades\u2019 reaction.<\/p>\n Among Turkish Cypriot commentators and parties, the majority found Mr Anastasiades\u2019 reaction rash and over-the-top, but there was some criticism of Mr. Akinci, too, for \u201cknowingly endangering the peace process\u201d.<\/p>\n