Last-ditch effort for Cyprus talks

Will U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres bring back life to the Cyprus talks process murdered in cold blood by the greed of Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades? Will this last attempt to salvage the sunken Cyprus ship succeed?

Dreamers still hoping for a reincarnation of the talks heralded the news that the U.N. chief had invited the leaders of the two peoples of Cyprus to a working dinner June 4 at the U.N. building, suggesting that a new Annan-plan like development might be in the pipeline. Can there be such a development?

The U.N. chief can neither be so naïve to expect a miraculous success nor ignorant about the history of the numerous failed Cyprus initiatives in the archives of the world body. If the U.N. chief, ignoring all that has been stressed by the two parties, particularly by the Greek Cypriot side, regarding the U.N. assuming the role of active mediator, places a settlement plan on the table, that dinner might turn out to be a rather unpleasant evening for him. Of course, the U.N. can and should play the role of bridge building between the two sides if there is ever going to be a U.N.-sponsored Cyprus deal, as the positions of the two sides are far apart on many chapters.

The average reader of this column must have learned by hard how existentially important the continuation of the 1960 guarantee scheme and Turkey's effective and active security guarantee for the Turkish Cypriot people are. Similarly, anyone who might have read a bit on the Cyprus issue should know in all clarity that because of the 1974 Turkish intervention, trauma is still so strongly felt by Greek Cypriots that they cannot accept Turkey's guarantee and continued military presence. How can these two positions be reconciled? The two peoples cannot be...