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- Holguin said the planned New York trilateral meeting between Guterres, Christodoulides and Erhürman did not proceed because it lacked new substantive proposals.
- She said confidence-building measures on disasters, migration, demining, sport and new crossing points could advance immediately if political will existed.
- Holguin said October contacts will focus on the substance and methodology of a future negotiating process, including framework, rules and principles.
- She said the UN is reviewing 2015–2017 convergences but will not release the document before negotiations begin, and her facilitation continues until December.
UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy for Cyprus, Maria Angela Holguin, has warned that the opportunity for progress in the Cyprus talks is gradually being lost, citing a confrontational climate and a lack of political will.
“The favourable opportunity we had during the past year and at the beginning of the current year is gradually being lost,” Holguin said in an interview with Turkish news agency ANKA.
She also discussed the background to the failure to hold a trilateral meeting in New York between UN Secretary-General António Guterres, President Nikos Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhürman.
New York trilateral did not go ahead
Holguin said the trilateral meeting had not initially been included in Guterres’ programme, which included separate meetings with the two leaders.
According to Holguin, Christodoulides proposed holding a trilateral during his contacts in New York. She conveyed the proposal to Erhürman, who asked whether there was a new proposal that could make the meeting meaningful.
Holguin said Christodoulides had repeated proposals he had already raised during his previous bilateral meeting with Erhürman.
Erhürman therefore considered that, without the necessary conditions for substantive progress, a trilateral meeting would not produce a positive result, she said.
Holguin stressed that the UN’s role is to facilitate the process and that it cannot replace the political decisions of the two sides.
“We can give advice, but ultimately the decision belongs to the leaders,” she said.
Political will needed on confidence-building measures
Holguin also focused on confidence-building measures, saying some could be implemented immediately if the necessary political will existed.
She referred to a proposed technical committee on natural disasters, which the two sides have agreed to establish but have yet to finalise how they would cooperate in responding to a disaster anywhere on the island.
She also cited measures concerning irregular migration, demining and sport, saying the obstacles are not only technical but also involve political decisions.
On new crossing points, Holguin referred to the Athienou–Aglantzia, Mia Milia and Louroujina–Lympia routes.
She said opening a crossing point at Mia Milia could significantly boost trade and that the benefit had also been recognised by the chambers of commerce of the two communities.
“However, so far, there has been no political will to move forward,” she said.
October talks to focus on methodology
Holguin said she would continue efforts to create the conditions for a substantive 5+1 meeting.
Her contacts in October are expected to focus on both the substance and methodology of a future negotiating process.
She said the aim is to agree on a methodology that would not create obstacles from the beginning of the process, but instead facilitate progress.
According to Holguin, this methodology should establish the framework, rules and principles within which short-, medium- and long-term objectives can be pursued.
“Every negotiation” requires the sides to agree on a method for conducting the talks, she said, adding that the UN is asking both sides to jointly establish a framework within which they can make their own decisions.
Holguin stressed that the UN would not impose either the outcome or the steps to be followed.
“The UN is in Cyprus to facilitate, not to impose or dictate what needs to be done,” she said.
She added that any negotiating process requires a willingness to make concessions, reach compromises and seek mutual benefit, conditions which she said “do not seem to be present” at the moment.
2015–2017 convergence document
Holguin also discussed the UN’s work on the convergences reached during previous negotiations.
She said the organisation is reviewing joint documents submitted by the two sides between 2015 and 2017, as well as other material from its archives.
According to Holguin, the joint documents from 2015–2017 provide the closest record of the convergences reached during that period.
However, the document will not be presented before new negotiations begin.
She said releasing it earlier could trigger another dispute over how previous negotiating records should be interpreted.
“Sharing the document early could create a new debate on how past negotiation records should be interpreted,” Holguin said. “The document will only be provided when negotiations begin and it becomes useful.”
She also questioned whether previous methods should automatically be repeated.
“If everything has always been done this way, perhaps that is precisely why not much progress has been made to date,” she said.
‘Negotiations do not emerge in a hostile environment’
Asked about actions that have affected trust and the wider climate between the two sides, Holguin said such practices make an already complicated situation more difficult.
“Negotiations do not appear by themselves nor are they born in a hostile environment,” she said.
She stressed that a negotiating process requires an understanding and acceptance of the existence of the other side, adding that she had repeatedly discussed the issue with the negotiators over the previous month.
Holguin is due to return to Cyprus in October as the UN continues efforts to create conditions for a renewed negotiating process. She has said her facilitation efforts will continue until the end of December.
‘The window is gradually closing’
Holguin also warned that developments in the Middle East and Eastern Mediterranean are becoming increasingly complicated, potentially affecting the Cyprus issue.
“It is clear that the favourable opportunity we had during the past year and at the beginning of this year is gradually being lost,” she said.
Her October visit will therefore focus on encouraging both sides to create the conditions for a new process, including progress on confidence-building measures and agreement on a future negotiating methodology.
Also read: “‘The best plan proposed for the Cyprus issue’: Western powers propose return of Varosha”
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