Progress achieved in the negotiations to reunify Cyprus under a federal umbrella means the sides are just a stone’s throw away from the final give-and-take stage, according to a senior Turkish Cypriot source.
The final give-and-take will involve painful political compromises across all the topics of the Cyprus problem, but mainly governance, power sharing, property, territory, security and guarantees.
According to a Turkish Cypriot source close to the UN negotiations, the sides have come a long way in the very complicated and sensitive issue of property, which they have been discussing intensively for the last two months.
Only a few details remain and the outstanding differences between the sides’ positions are bridgeable, the source said.
The sides are scheduled to meet again on January 14 and 29 to continue and possibly conclude talks on property.
The overall picture is hopeful and encouraging, with the two sides having reached understanding on most of the substantial issues, the senior source said.
“The process has reached a stage where it is not the political differences, but rather the technical details such as the writing of federal laws and preparation of the Turkish Cypriot side to the EU, that will be taking most of the time and effort,” the source said.
Even the highly controversial issue of guarantees does not seem to be a matter of huge concern, with the sides remaining optimistic that a breakthrough is possible.
In a recent interview, government spokesman Nicos Christodoulides said he did not expect the issue of guarantees to be difficult to solve.
Echoing this optimism, the Turkish Cypriot source said: “In this era, where Turkey, Greece, Cyprus are all part of the same alliance, it should not be difficult to formulate a security arrangement that makes both sides feel safe. One thing is for certain: This process will definitely not collapse because of the issue of guarantees.”
The year 2016 is widely seen as the last chance for the unification of Cyprus under a federal umbrella -providing benefits not only to the island but also to the broader region by improving security and stability in the Eastern Mediterranean and opening the way for regional cooperation.
