UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy for Cyprus Maria Angela Holguin hopes a trilateral meeting on November 9 will encourage the island’s two leaders to reach compromises on initiatives discussed during their bilateral meetings.
In an interview with Alithia, Holguin said the meeting during her upcoming visit should also allow President Nikos Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhürman to share their views on the methodology for future negotiations, possible confidence-building measures and other issues they consider important.
She stressed that practical cooperation, political will and Cypriot ownership of the process are essential for reaching a settlement.
Holguin says political will remains a key obstacle
Holguin welcomed the meetings between the two leaders in recent months, saying direct dialogue is always useful. However, she warned that meetings alone do not demonstrate the political will needed to change the current situation.
She said the resumption of negotiations depends on both sides and urged the leaders to implement confidence-building measures that would demonstrate their willingness to work together.
According to Holguin, recent meetings have not produced progress on crossing points or other confidence-building measures. Nor have the sides reached agreement on the methodology required before formal negotiations can begin.
She said both sides know what is needed to move forward, where compromises could be possible and which steps could create a more favourable environment for negotiations.
UN envoy says she does not need to be based in Cyprus
Asked about criticism concerning her absence from the island, Holguin said bilateral meetings give the two leaders an opportunity to meet privately and discuss issues freely.
Her role, she explained, is to facilitate communication and help the sides find common ground, rather than participate directly in their dialogue or negotiations.
Holguin said she did not need to be based in Cyprus to fulfil that role or ensure the leaders continued their discussions.
She also urged Cypriots to focus on what unites the two communities rather than the painful past they have experienced.
Number of proposals matters less than implementation
Holguin said the debate over whether there are four, five, seven, 10 or 19 proposals misses the central issue: whether the leaders have the political will and ability to agree on some or all of them and, most importantly, implement them.
She described the prospects for a settlement as both distant and close.
A deal remains distant, she said, because there appears to be insufficient political will to address the difficult issues required for a comprehensive settlement. At the same time, she believes an agreement is possible because both sides understand their interests and how those interests could be reconciled.
Holguin warned that changing the status quo after so many years would be extremely difficult and would require a leader to decide that living together in a united Cyprus matters more than political calculations.
She expressed hope that the leaders would take that step soon, before regional and global developments place further pressure on countries in the region.
Holguin says both communities could benefit from a settlement
Holguin said a solution would bring political, economic and social benefits to all communities in Cyprus.
Neither side would achieve everything it wants, she noted, but both communities would have something to gain.
Ultimately, she said, progress depends on the leaders and, above all, the Cypriots themselves.
Also read: Christodoulides meets Cyprus UN envoy ahead of new talks
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