In his previous speeches and overseas contacts, our President had invited various circles (although these are generally referred to as the “international community,” we know that the circles meant are the EU and the US) to become involved in the Cyprus negotiation process.
The international community in question, however, is now “insisting” on not getting involved, and is describing the process currently under way as a “Cypriot Solution” and even a “Cyprus Plan.”
In a way, it is passing the buck to the leaders of the two communities.
Mr. Talat, who is aware of this, assesses the situation as follows: “Now they have adopted the refrain ‘a Cypriot solution for Cypriots.’ There can be no Cypriot solution for Cypriots; it is impossible. It has never happened before. Nothing like this has ever been on the agenda. It cannot happen because the sides have such entrenched positions that, I believe, changing them and making concessions will not be possible unless the UN or the international community participates directly.”
In other words, outside forces need to put pressure on both sides to make concessions; otherwise, there is an impasse, and Mr. Talat is not at all happy about it!
I will come to Mr. Talat’s dissatisfaction, but first let us look at why the UN or the international community is “distant” from this problem.
From a realistic perspective, we can see that the international community’s position is understandable. After all, no one wants to take the lead anymore on a complex issue like the “Cyprus Problem.” It is a problem that whoever takes on is left holding. No one wants to own a possible failure! In fact, I do not think Downer, whose political career is flourishing, is very happy to have taken on this problem.
Our President is unhappy both with the international community’s approach and with the way the process is proceeding! Given that the President genuinely wants a solution, we can understand his dissatisfaction.
But the problem here is not that Mr. Talat wants a solution; rather, as we can easily understand from Talat’s …[truncated] words, Christofias does not want a solution… In such a situation, passing the buck to the two leaders reinforces the lack of a solution: the leaders “negotiate in order to negotiate,” and things are not going very well.
Although this is undeniably “plain as day,” Mr. Talat and his team continue to claim at every opportunity that “very serious progress has been made.”
So why is this “hope” being handed out to the public?
In other words, what is the reason for peddling hope?
Let us consider the reasons for pumping this hope into the public through two approaches: According to the first approach, sustaining hope is the most important factor in making a solution possible. For the vision of a solution to stay alive, people must believe that a solution will be reached and remain hopeful about it. That is why efforts are being made to keep this hope alive with positive messages. This is, in fact, the right tactic if you want a solution. But, just as every tactical move can have negative consequences, this tactic will also have negative consequences if it fails. The most important consequence, without a doubt, is that you will not be able to convince the public again that a solution is possible.
The second approach is Talat’s natural timetable: the presidential elections…
The presidential elections to be held in our country in April 2010 have become an important factor in resolving the “Cyprus Problem”! In his latest statement, Mr. Talat says that a timetable must be drawn up, with pressure from the international community, in order to resolve the problem.
He goes on to set out this timetable in his statement. He says that there is the EU report on Turkey in December and elections in the TRNC in April 2010. In other words, he is suggesting: “Come, let us set the timetable this way.” Let the give-and-take process begin before December, and let a referendum be held before April 2010…
If Mr. Talat’s timetable is adopted and imposed on both leaders through pressure, there is no doubt that we will get much closer to a solution than we are today! On the other hand, it is quite clear that this timetable is necessary for Mr. Talat’s political future!
Meanwhile, it is worth saying that the UBP, which is accused of not wanting a solution, would in such a situation have made the greatest contribution to a solution! For when the President says, “There will be elections in the TRNC in 2010!”, he is sending the international community this message: “Look, I’ll be gone, the UBP will come in, and you’ll see a solution in the TRNC only in your dreams!”
Hope to see you on Tuesday…
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