One meeting, two checkpoints and a lost cause
Source: in-cyprus.com
The two leaders will meet face-to-face today, in what already appears unlikely to yield any positive outcome. It will probably only confirm the longstanding deadlock in the Cyprus issue, despite various attempts to generate at least some momentum.
Today’s meeting could have held some substance if there had been prospects of announcements regarding new crossing points. While opening crossing points is certainly not the core of the Cyprus problem, any agreement, even on Confidence Building Measures, would demonstrate mutual goodwill to move things in a direction aimed at a broader positive resolution of the Cyprus issue.
After fifty-odd years since the Turkish invasion, the barbed wire has been there far too long, and the current situation cannot continue indefinitely. This raises a crucial question about the trajectory of this whole saga: If we cannot agree on, or find ways to overcome obstacles regarding crossing points, how can we hope for a solution to the Cyprus problem? How can the two communities cooperate and coexist harmoniously in a unified state?
The agenda for today’s meeting between the two leaders has been known for days, focusing solely on the opening of crossing points. The occupying side is requesting the opening of the Mia Milia crossing point for their own comprehensible reasons, within a framework of reciprocity. One might expect, within this framework, that they would at least show willingness to discuss the Greek Cypriot requests to open either the Pyroi-Athienou road or the Kokkina crossing point.
Both cases directly affect residents’ daily lives. Opening the Pyroi road would not only end the isolation of Athienou’s residents but also provide significant traffic relief by creating a new route to Nicosia. As for the Kokkina area, the residents of Tylliria region have long been vocal about their isolation.
When a meeting begins with a predetermined refusal to discuss opening these specific crossings because the Turkish occupation forces consider their positions would be compromised, expectations are low not just for today but for future developments. How might circumstances change in the coming days with Di Carlo’s visit to the island? How can we expect prospects for creating conditions to build on March’s five-party talks?
Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos, in yesterday’s interview with Politis newspaper, stated that UN Assistant Secretary-General Rosemary Di Carlo will visit Cyprus even without a positive outcome on the crossing points, indicating that the Secretary-General himself didn’t set this as a precondition. He noted: “Nevertheless, I think we can all agree that a positive outcome would help create a favourable climate ahead of the five-party talks.”
The burden of responsibility lies with the United Nations, and we await to see how they handle it…
The original article: belongs to in-cyprus.com .
