Eide appears optimistic about the Cyprus peace process before the UN Security Council

UNSG`s Special Adviser for Cyprus Espen Barth Eide has said that concrete progress has been achieved at the Cyprus talks but pointed out that there is also a lot of hard work yet to be done.

In statements after briefing the UN Security Council on the Cyprus talks together with UN Special Representative in Cyprus Lisa Buttenheim, Eide said that the fifteen members of the Council recognized the effort of the two leaders who think about “the big picture and the essence of what is necessary in order to reach a solution in Cyprus rather than the old fashion insistence on minor and minuscule detail”.

“So the new tone is recognized in New York and is warmly welcomed”, he said, adding that he underlined in the briefing that “while there is a very good climate where we can report on concrete progress there is also a lot of work yet to be done.”

Pointing out that very hard work and concessions are ahead of the two leaders, he said that the UN Security Council members stated that there is no time to lose and this momentum has to be upheld and that all other relevant countries have to contribute to this effort.

About the EU involvement in the Cyprus talks, he said that himself and Commission President Jean Claude Junker “are in full agreement about how the cooperation between the European Union and the role that I play as representative of the United Nations chairing the talks is being done and that we are much welcome the reappointment of Pieter van Nuffel”.

Asked if there is a timetable, he said that there is not any timetable, noting that `if you have a timetable it may be suffocating`.

But he recalled that the two leaders have repeatedly said that there is no time to lose.

Eide said that since May 11th, there have been 25 meetings of negotiators and 6 formal meetings of leaders plus numerous social events and an even higher number of meetings of different kinds of working groups.

“So this is working with full speed because everybody involved knows that this momentum has to be grasped now. It is now and it is not forever”, he stressed.

“What we are doing now,” he added, “is to try to come as far as we can towards a strategic understanding of all the difficult issues. When we are approaching the later stage I will also engage even more deeply on the international dimensions of the settlement which includes discussion with the guarantor powers. This is already in preparation and then at the right moment we will also make sure that those issues become part of what can be seen as a final solution”.

“After that if this works, referenda and after the referenda implementation. And I encourage everybody to think about these three phases, not because I can promise that we’ll get to number two but if we get there, we have to have thought about it and to get to implementation and we have to think about it as well. And implementation also means change and that change has to be organized in a proper way and under clear authority and under clear constitutional control”, Eide said.

He reiterated that this is a leaders` led process and supported by the United Nations.

Asked about the hydrocarbons issue, Eide said that “the reality is that this was solved many years ago in the sense that post settlement were existing convergences which have been reconfirmed long before this new phase, that Hydrocarbons belongs to the future federal united Cyprus”.

“So empirically there is not that much activity going on right now, it is actually not an issue, it is simply not an issue that is being discussed not because we don’t want to discuss it but it is basically already solved in the light of a future settlement. And since we are now working in the direction of what I hope, not know, but hope, will be a full-fledged settlement for a united federal Cyprus, the leaders will build on the pre-existing convergences on this issue”, he pointed out.

Gerard van Bohemen, UN Security Council President and Permanent Representative of New Zealand, said that “we had kind of the unusual experience of getting a very positive briefing which we all took great pleasure from. Ms. Buttenheim and Mr. Eide were very upbeat about the mood on the island and the talks but I recognize that there are significant challenges ahead”.

“There was a recognition that the two leaders of the different communities are committed to making this process work and the Council was very united and behind the special adviser and the special representative and wants to give every encouragement that we can until the talks continuing”, he pointed out.

In her statements, UN Secretary-General`s Special Representative in Cyprus, Lisa Buttenheim, said that there was unanimity from the Council in support of the efforts of the two leaders especially, and the work that is being done both on the good offices side but also with UNFICYP.

“We work very well together as an integrated team both at our respective levels but with our own colleagues on the ground reinforcing each other both in the work that is being done by the good offices as part of the official talks also to support the technical committees also to support, this is something that UNFICYP is doing, the opening of the crossings, there is a technical committee on crossings, which is facilitated by UNFICYP as is the technical committee on crime and criminal matters”, she concluded.