Annan Plan for Cyprus
Encyclopedia
The Annan Plan was a United Nations
proposal to resolve the Cyprus dispute
, reuniting the breakaway Northern Cyprus with the Republic of Cyprus
. The proposal was to restructure Cyprus as the "United Cyprus Republic", which would be a federation of two states. It was revised a number of times before being put to the people of Cyprus in a referendum. It was opposed by leaders in the north and south, and although voters in the north voted for it, voters in the south rejected it.
The Annan Plan had undergone five revisions in order to reach its final version. The 5th revision of the Annan Plan proposed the creation of the United Cyprus Republic, covering the island of Cyprus in its entirety except for the British Sovereign Base Areas
. This new country
was to be a federation
of two constituent states — the Greek Cypriot State
and the Turkish Cypriot State
— joined together by a federal government apparatus.
This federal level, purported to be loosely based on the Swiss federal model
, would have incorporated the following elements:
The plan included a federal
constitution
, constitutions for each constituent state, a string of constitutional and federal laws, and a proposal for a United Cyprus Republic flag and a national anthem
. It also provided for a Reconciliation Commission to bring the two communities closer together and resolve outstanding disputes from the past.
It would also have established a limited right to return between the territories of the two communities, and it would have allowed both Greece and Turkey
to maintain a permanent military presence on the island, albeit with large, phased reductions in troop numbers.
of 29 June 1999, which requested the Secretary-General to invite the two leaders of the communities on Cyprus to negotiations, Alvaro de Soto
was appointed as Special Advisor to the Secretary-General on Cyprus (1 Nov.), the Secretary-General visited Turkey and President Clinton visited Turkey and Greece (November), and proximity talks in New York were arranged beginning 3 December. The motivation for this renewed attempt at a Cyprus settlement was Cyprus’ impending membership of the EU, and the fear that this development would create an obstacle to Turkey’s hopes of joining. This prospect was of particular concern not only to Turkey, but also to the USA and the UK, which were both keen to promote Turkey’s membership of the EU. A further concern was the future of the British military bases and installations
on Cyprus which were regarded as essential by both the UK and USA.
On 10-11 December the Helsinki EU summit’s conclusions welcomed the launch of the talks in New York and declared that “a political settlement will facilitate the accession of Cyprus to the European Union.” This was followed by the observation that “If no settlement has been reached by the completion of accession negotiations, the Council’s decision on accession will be made without the above being a precondition.” However the EU kept its options open by adding: “In this the Council will take account of all relevant factors.”
Following the talks in New York, four more rounds of proximity talks were held in Geneva: 31 January-8 February, 24 July-4 August, 12-26 September, and 1-10 November 2000. On 24 November, in response to the Secretary General's assessment of the talks (8 November 2000), which the leader of the Turkish Cypriots Rauf Denktash
rejected, Denktash announced his withdrawal from the talks “because no progress could be made until two separate states are recognized”. He was supported in his decision by Turkey.
After almost a year of no talks and therefore little progress, Alvaro de Soto announced on 5 September 2001 that “on behalf of the Secretary-General I have conveyed to his Excellency The Greek Cypriot Leader Mr. Glafcos Clerides and his Excellency Mr. Rauf Denktash, the Turkish Cypriot leader, an invitation to resume the search for a comprehensive settlement to the Cyprus problem under the Secretary-General's auspices... with separate meetings of the Secretary-General with each of the two leaders on 12 September 2001 in New York." Denktash rejected Annan’s invitation on the same day, but the visit to Cyprus in October 2001 of the President of the European Commission Romano Prodi prompted him to think again. During his visit Prodi stated that Cyprus would become an EU member with or without a settlement. Shortly thereafter Denktash entered into correspondence with Clerides, and a meeting in the presence of Alvaro de Soto was organised in Nicosia on 4 December 2001. After the meeting, de Soto announced that the two leaders had agreed the following:
The new round of talks was held in Nicosia and ran from 16 January. In September the venue was moved to Paris, and then, in October, meetings were held in New York. After the New York meetings Alvaro de Soto, read a message from the Secretary-General to the effect that “a comprehensive settlement has to be a complex, integrated, legally binding and self-executing agreement, where the rights and obligations of all concerned are clear, unambiguous, and not subject to further negotiations."
On 11 November 2002, Alvaro de Soto presented a comprehensive plan for the resolution of the Cyprus issue (Annan Plan I). Following feedback, but no negotiations between the two sides, a revised version was published on 10 December (Annan Plan II), two days before the EU Copenhagen summit. In his report to the Security Council of 1 April 2003, Kofi Annan reveals that the Copenhagen European Council Summit of 12 and 13 December 2002 was seen as a deadline:
According to Claire Palley, the revisions to Annan Plan I “were not even-handed”.
Intense pressure was exerted on both sides to agree to Annan Plan II before the Copenhagen Summit decision regarding Cyprus’ membership application but to no avail. Nevertheless the summit confirmed that all of Cyprus would become a member on 1 May 2004, but "in the absence of a settlement, the application of the acquis to the northern part of the island shall be suspended".
At the same time Turkey was told that a decision on a start date for accession negotiations would be delayed until after Cyprus had joined.
In his Report of 1 April 2003, Kofi Annan wrote that he believed Annan III, which was submitted to the two sides two days before the deadline, should be the final version of the plan.
According to Claire Palley, the UN team had “again made changes meeting Turkish concerns”, and she cites the phrase “particularly addressing the basic requirements of the Turkish side” from the paragraph above as confirmation.
Having presented the “final” version of the Plan, Kofi Annan invited the Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders to the Hague on 10 March, where they were to inform him whether they were prepared “to sign a commitment to submit the plan for approval at separate simultaneous referenda on 30 March 2003”. In the meantime the Plan had been altered with the addition of extensive “Corrigenda and clarifications”, and in this new form was presented to the leaders on 7 March 2003. On the Greek Cypriot side there had been a change of leadership following elections on 16 February in which Tassos Papadopoulos
was elected President of the Republic of Cyprus. He received the altered Plan when he was on his way to the Hague to meet the Secretary General.
On 10 March 2003 in The Hague
, Netherlands, the UN effort collapsed when Denktash told the Secretary-General he would not put the Annan Plan to referendum
. According to the BBC, "ultimately it was the Turkish Cypriot side which refused to even talk further, and which was blamed for the failure of the peace process." In the same news article Denktash is quoted as saying: "The plan was unacceptable for us. This was not a plan we would ask our people to vote for."
In his report, Kofi Annan saw this as the end of the road:
met with Foreign Minister George Papandreou
in Washington on 17 September 2003 and told him the USA wanted “an immediate restart of talks by the two sides on the island”.
At the meeting of the European Council
in Brussels on 12 December 2003, the Council reiterated its preference “for a reunited Cyprus to join the Union on 1 May 2004” and urged “all parties concerned, and in particular Turkey and the Turkish Cypriot leadership, to strongly support the UN Secretary General's efforts” in an “immediate resumption of the talks on the basis of his proposals”.
In December Thomas Weston visited Greece, Cyprus, and Turkey; and the US President George Bush
wrote to the Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis
on 26 December urging him to push for a Cyprus settlement: “We now have a window of opportunity to reach a settlement so that a united Cyprus joins the European Union. We must not let that window close.”
Simitis responded by praising the Greek Cypriot side and pointing out that “time is running out due to the Turkish side's unwillingness to cooperate”.
In the meantime parliamentary elections in Northern Cyprus
(14 December 2003) had changed the political landscape. Mehmet Ali Talat
leading a coalition of pro-Annan-Plan parties had narrowly defeated the incumbent Prime Minister Derviş Eroğlu
. Elections had recently brought about a change of leadership in Turkey too, and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
had become prime minister on 14 March 2003. Erdoğan, keen to make progress on the issue of EU membership for Turkey, was “not in favor of following the Cyprus policy that has been followed for the last 30 or 40 years." He criticised Denktash, saying, "This is not Mr. Denktas’ personal business,” and adding that Denktash "should pay more attention to what Turkish Cypriots think and the growing protest against his rule". However analysts have suggested that he and Denktash were not so far apart in what they wanted from a settlement--they merely disagreed on tactics, with Erdoğan preferring that: "Neither Turkey nor Turkish Cyprus should give an uncompromising impression. We should not be the side keeping away from the negotiating table."
Following intervention by Erdoğan, the outcome of post-election manoeuvring in Northern Cyprus was that Talat formed a government in alliance with the Democratic Party led by Rauf Denktash’s son Serdar Denktash. However Rauf Denktash remained President, since the President is elected at separate elections.
On 4 February 2004, after having discussed matters with President Bush, Kofi Annan sent a letter to both sides in which he invited them to New York on 10 February 2004. In his letter, Annan proposed that talks resume with the aim of finalizing the plan by 31 March, and holding the referendum on 21 April. He also reserved for himself the task of completing the text of the plan if necessary:
At New York pressure was exerted on the two sides to grant the Secretary General the powers of an arbitrator or mediator, but the Greek-Cypriot side would not agree. The Security Council had asked the Secretary General to facilitate negotiations within the framework of his “good offices”, and any extension to that mandate should have been sought from the Security Council, where, however, any one of its members could have used a veto to deny the request.
After intense negotiations the procedure outlined in Annan’s letter was organised into phases. In Phase 1 the Cypriot parties would negotiate “within the framework of my [Annan’s] mission of good offices” in Nicosia from 19 February in order to produce a final text by 22 March. Negotiations were to be restricted to matters that fell “within the parameters of the Plan”.
In the absence of agreement, Phase 2 would involve the Secretary General convening a meeting of the two sides, “with the participation of Greece and Turkey in order to lend their collaboration, in a concentrated effort to agree on a finalized text by 29 March.”
In Phase 3 the Secretary General would use his “discretion to finalize the text to be submitted to referenda on the basis of my plan”.
When Phase 1 got under way, the two Cypriot leaders, Rauf Denktash and Tassos Papadopoulos, met nearly every day for negotiations facilitated by Alvaro de Soto. In addition, numerous technical committees and subcommittees met in parallel to work on the details. In his report the UNSG noted that Phase 1 of the effort “did not produce significant progress at the political level. However, positive results were achieved at the technical level by experts from the two sides assisted by United Nations experts.”
According to Claire Palley, problems and delays were created in this phase by Dentash’s insistence on “producing proposals well beyond the Plan’s parameters”. For example the Turkish side “demanded massive EU derogations”, and “insisted on a right for all Turkish settlers to remain”. James Ker-Lindsay notes that: “The situation was also hindered by the bad atmosphere generated by Rauf Denktash, who appeared determined to scupper the process by holding frequent press conferences at which he revealed as much as he could to the media.”
In addition Denktash caused a “mini-crisis” (so described in Annan’s Report) by declaring that he would not be attending the Phase 2 talks. In fact it was a major crisis. Technically the Phase 2 talks could not take place without the Turkish Cypriot leader there to negotiate with the Greek Cypriot leader, and Tassos Papadopoulos would have been within his rights to refuse to participate in the absence of the leader of the Turkish Cypriots. As it was he merely “stressed the need for a credible interlocutor who would represent the Turkish Cypriot side” and pointed out at the last Phase 1 meeting that no progress had been achieved on substantial issues.
Phase 2 was scheduled to take place in Bürgenstock
on 24 March 2004. After consultation with the Turkish government, Denktash agreed to confer full negotiating authority on Talat the Prime Minister, and his son Serdar Denktash, the Foreign Minister. According to Claire Palley, the Greek Cypriot side was pressured by “the UN and various Powers” to treat Talat and Serdar Denktash as leaders, but in reality Rauf Denktash remained leader of the Turkish Cypriots “able at any time to withdraw his negotiating authority or to veto decisions.”
At Bürgenstock, the Turkish side wanted quadrilateral meetings (the two Cypriot delegations plus Greece and Turkey), but the Greek Cypriots objected that this had been discussed and rejected at the New York meetings. The role of the Greek and Turkish representatives was not supposed to include participating directly in the negotiations.
The first meeting for negotiations between the Cypriot sides was arranged for 24 March, but it was cancelled by de Soto at the request of Talat, two hours before it was to take place. No further formal meetings were arranged.
Instead de Soto tried to get Tassos Papadopoulos to give him a prioritised wish list. The Greek Cypriots feared that if they gave such a list it would be used to justify “trade-offs” and thus allow for drastic changes to the plan in Phase 3 outside of already agreed parameters.
On 25 March de Soto tried to get the Cypriot parties to sign a commitment document, but it was pointed out to him that this was not part of the agreed procedure.
On 26 March Ambassador Uğur Ziyal of Turkey’s Foreign Ministry gave a list of “Final Points” to de Soto with the demand that the changes requested therein be made by the UN team. When the Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan arrived in Bürgenstock on 29 March, he was informed by Annan that nine of his eleven “points” had been agreed to by the UN team, and that the other two were virtually met. That this was the case became clear when Annan Plan IV was presented to the two sides on 29 March, and the Turkish side leaked Ziyal’s document.
The delegations were asked by Annan to provide him with their comments on Annan IV, which contained “numerous amendments, including changes on core issues and reopening substantial trade-offs, previously agreed” within less than 24 hours so that he could finalise the Plan. The final plan, Annan Plan V, was tabled on 31 March. It met all of Turkey’s demands. In presenting it Kofi Annan said:
The political leaders of both sides (Tassos Papadopoulos and Rauf Denktash) had campaigned for a 'no' vote, but Talat had campaigned for a ‘yes’ vote, strongly supported by Turkey.
In exit polls 75% of the Greek Cypriots who voted ‘No’ cited ‘security concerns’ as the main reason for their choice. Turkey had not only once again been given the right of unilateral military intervention, but would be allowed to keep a large number of troops in Cyprus after a settlement, whereas the National Guard was to be dissolved.
An academic study of the electorate's response to the Annan Plan states that it was doomed to rejection at the polls, because it was developed through an “ill-designed process of secret diplomacy” which disregarded the views of the Cypriot public. The study recommends that future efforts should incorporate consultation with the public into the negotiation process..
"I remain convinced that the plan I put forward is the only realistic basis for reunifying the island, which I believe is the sincere desire of the majority of Cypriots in both communities. I hope that before too long the Greek Cypriots will have an opportunity to consider the plan more calmly, and to judge it on its true merits."
"Together with a broad cross-section of the international community, the Secretary-General remains convinced that the settlement plan put to the two sides in today's referenda represents a fair, viable and carefully balanced compromise--one that conforms with the long-agreed parameters for a solution and with the Security Council's vision for a settlement, and meets the minimum requirements of all concerned."
passed a resolution on Cyprus which included the following statements:
Following the referendum the European Commission
issued the following statement to the press:
"The UK Government believes steps should be taken as quickly as possible to end the isolation of the Turkish Cypriots."
"The Turkish Cypriots can reasonably ask that they should not be the victims of this setback; and yet it is they who are left in limbo outside the European Union. But what is now needed, surely, is to remove all discrimination against people who are, after all, citizens of the European Union and to prepare the Turkish Cypriots and their legislation and administrative practices for eventual European membership."
"I believe that it was a great shame that the Greek Cypriots voted no, and that it was a mistake to reject the Annan plan. We strongly believe that the Turkish Cypriots, who voted for a peaceful resolution of the Cyprus problem, should not be penalised because the Greek Cypriots rejected the UN settlement plans. Turkish Cypriots demonstrated their desire to be in the EU, as part of a united island.... The clear majority vote by the Turkish Cypriot community at the referendum on 24 April to accept the UN Secretary General's plan for a settlement of the Cyprus problem has not gone unnoticed. The Government of UK believes steps should be taken as quickly as possible to end the isolation of the Turkish Cypriots."
"We are disappointed that a majority of Greek Cypriots voted against the settlement plan. Failure of the referenda in the Greek Cypriot community is a setback to the hopes of those on the island who voted for the settlement and to the international community."
"We think that a Greek Cypriot vote against the settlement means that a unique and historic opportunity was lost. We believe the settlement was fair. It has been accepted by the Turkish Cypriot side. There will not be a better settlement. There is no other deal. There is no better deal available. And we hope that the Greek Cypriots will come to comprehend this in due time.
We have nothing but praise for the courageous Turkish Cypriots who voted for this settlement.... There's not a new negotiation plan, there's not a renegotiation plan. This is the deal.
We do think that there was a lot of manipulation by the Greek Cypriot leaders in the run-up to the election; that the outcome was regrettable but not surprising, given those actions. I think the Europeans as well have made clear --statements by External Relations Commissioner Chris Patten
, European Parliamentary President Pat Cox
, Enlargement Commissioner Verheugen--that they have strong concerns in that regard as well."
Germany "The German Government regrets that a "yes" vote was only achieved in the northern part of the island in today's referenda in Cyprus. It is disappointing that the citizens in the south of the island did not seize the great opportunity for reunification which the Annan Plan offered. Unfortunately, a reunited Cyprus will not now be joining the European Union on 1 May."
Early Modern France "France hopes that the Commission, in accordance with the conclusions of the Copenhagen European Council of December 2002, proposes that proper measures be taken to promote the economic development of the northern part of the island and bring it closer to the Union."
Bangladesh "Bangladesh
expresses its deep disappointment at the rejection of the UN Plan for the reunification of Cyprus, by one community in Cyprus.... Bangladesh believes that those who voted for the UN plan in Cyprus should now be given the opportunity to restore immediately their economic and trade activities internationally without any restriction."
Czech Republic "On 1st May 2004, Cyprus will become EU member. The Turkish inhabitants of Cyprus have expressed in the referendum their will for the unification of Cyprus. They should not become hostages of the situation they will face after 1st May resulting from the refusal of the Annan plan in the south part of the island. The Czech MFA believes that the EU and the international community will find a way to help the north part of Cyprus to overcome economic and social consequences of the decades of international isolation."
Sweden "We appreciate the initiative of Prime Minister Erdoğan and of the Turkish Government in order to re-unite Cyprus. Now, the EU must evaluate how it can contribute and facilitate the trade in the island and the border crossings between the two parts."
Austria "The Austrian Foreign Minister Benita Ferrero-Waldner
expressed her regret at the negative outcome of the referendum on the Greek side of Cyprus.
The fact that the referendum resulted in a positive vote on the Turkish side of Cyprus should be appropriately honored by the international community."
Organization of the Islamic Conference "It is our duty to put an end to the isolation of Turkish Cypriots."
"What happened in Cyprus with the Annan plan in reality has nothing to do with the Turkish Cypriots, but the main issue was Turkey's accession into the European Union and the pseudo-state was used as pawn."
"If the Greek-Cypriots say 'no' to the Annan plan, we will take them to a new referendum, until they say yes."
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
proposal to resolve the Cyprus dispute
Cyprus dispute
The Cyprus dispute is the result of the ongoing conflict between the Republic of Cyprus and Turkey, over the Turkish occupied northern part of Cyprus....
, reuniting the breakaway Northern Cyprus with the Republic of Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
. The proposal was to restructure Cyprus as the "United Cyprus Republic", which would be a federation of two states. It was revised a number of times before being put to the people of Cyprus in a referendum. It was opposed by leaders in the north and south, and although voters in the north voted for it, voters in the south rejected it.
Proposal
Sovereign Base Areas
The Sovereign Base Areas are military bases located on territory in which the United Kingdom is sovereign, but which are separated from the ordinary British territory....
. This new country
Sovereign state
A sovereign state, or simply, state, is a state with a defined territory on which it exercises internal and external sovereignty, a permanent population, a government, and the capacity to enter into relations with other sovereign states. It is also normally understood to be a state which is neither...
was to be a federation
Federation
A federation , also known as a federal state, is a type of sovereign state characterized by a union of partially self-governing states or regions united by a central government...
of two constituent states — the Greek Cypriot State
Greek Cypriot State
The Greek Cypriot State was to have been one of the constituent states of the United Cyprus Republic proposed by the failed 2004 Annan Plan for Cyprus aimed at reunification of Cyprus....
and the Turkish Cypriot State
Turkish Cypriot State
The Turkish Cypriot State was to have been one of the constituent states of the United Cyprus Republic proposed by the failed 2004 Annan Plan for Cyprus for the reunification of Cyprus...
— joined together by a federal government apparatus.
This federal level, purported to be loosely based on the Swiss federal model
Politics of Switzerland
The politics of Switzerland take place in the framework of a multi-party federal parliamentary democratic republic, whereby the Federal Council of Switzerland is the head of government. Executive power is exercised by the government and the federal administration and is not concentrated in any one...
, would have incorporated the following elements:
- A collective Presidential Council, made up of six voting members, allocated according to population (per present levels, four Greek CypriotsGreek CypriotsGreek Cypriots are the ethnic Greek population of Cyprus, forming the island's largest ethnolinguistic community at 77% of the population. Greek Cypriots are mostly members of the Church of Cyprus, an autocephalous Greek Orthodox Church within the wider communion of Orthodox Christianity...
and two Turkish CypriotsTurkish CypriotsTurkish Cypriots are the ethnic Turks and members of the Turkish-speaking ethnolinguistic community of the Eastern Mediterranean island of Cyprus. The term is used to refer explicitly to the indigenous Turkish Cypriots, whose Ottoman Turkish forbears colonised the island in 1571...
), and selected and voted in by parliament. An additional three non-voting members would be assigned 2:1. - A President and Vice President, chosen by the Presidential Council from among its members, one from each community, to alternate in their functions every 20 months during the council's five-year term of office.
- A bicameralBicameralismIn the government, bicameralism is the practice of having two legislative or parliamentary chambers. Thus, a bicameral parliament or bicameral legislature is a legislature which consists of two chambers or houses....
legislature:- A SenateSenateA senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a legislature or parliament. There have been many such bodies in history, since senate means the assembly of the eldest and wiser members of the society and ruling class...
(upper house), with 48 members, divided 24:24 between the two communities. - A Chamber of DeputiesChamber of DeputiesChamber of deputies is the name given to a legislative body such as the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or can refer to a unicameral legislature.-Description:...
(lower house), with 48 members, divided in proportion to the two communities' populations (with no fewer than 12 for the smaller community).
- A Senate
- A Supreme Court composed of equal numbers of Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot judges, plus three foreign judges; to be appointed by the Presidential Council.
The plan included a federal
Federation
A federation , also known as a federal state, is a type of sovereign state characterized by a union of partially self-governing states or regions united by a central government...
constitution
Constitution
A constitution is a set of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is governed. These rules together make up, i.e. constitute, what the entity is...
, constitutions for each constituent state, a string of constitutional and federal laws, and a proposal for a United Cyprus Republic flag and a national anthem
National anthem
A national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that evokes and eulogizes the history, traditions and struggles of its people, recognized either by a nation's government as the official national song, or by convention through use by the people.- History :Anthems rose to prominence...
. It also provided for a Reconciliation Commission to bring the two communities closer together and resolve outstanding disputes from the past.
It would also have established a limited right to return between the territories of the two communities, and it would have allowed both Greece and Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
to maintain a permanent military presence on the island, albeit with large, phased reductions in troop numbers.
Annan Plans I & II
Following the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1250United Nations Security Council Resolution 1250
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1250, adopted unanimously on June 29, 1999, after reaffirming all resolutions on the situation in Cyprus, particularly Resolution 1218 , the Council addressed the Secretary-General Kofi Annan's mission of good offices in Cyprus.The Security Council...
of 29 June 1999, which requested the Secretary-General to invite the two leaders of the communities on Cyprus to negotiations, Alvaro de Soto
Álvaro de Soto
Álvaro de Soto is a Peruvian diplomat. He ended a 25 year career with the United Nations in May 2007.-Early years:De Soto studied law and international relations in Lima and Geneva prior to enlisting in his country's diplomatic corps...
was appointed as Special Advisor to the Secretary-General on Cyprus (1 Nov.), the Secretary-General visited Turkey and President Clinton visited Turkey and Greece (November), and proximity talks in New York were arranged beginning 3 December. The motivation for this renewed attempt at a Cyprus settlement was Cyprus’ impending membership of the EU, and the fear that this development would create an obstacle to Turkey’s hopes of joining. This prospect was of particular concern not only to Turkey, but also to the USA and the UK, which were both keen to promote Turkey’s membership of the EU. A further concern was the future of the British military bases and installations
Sovereign Base Areas
The Sovereign Base Areas are military bases located on territory in which the United Kingdom is sovereign, but which are separated from the ordinary British territory....
on Cyprus which were regarded as essential by both the UK and USA.
On 10-11 December the Helsinki EU summit’s conclusions welcomed the launch of the talks in New York and declared that “a political settlement will facilitate the accession of Cyprus to the European Union.” This was followed by the observation that “If no settlement has been reached by the completion of accession negotiations, the Council’s decision on accession will be made without the above being a precondition.” However the EU kept its options open by adding: “In this the Council will take account of all relevant factors.”
Following the talks in New York, four more rounds of proximity talks were held in Geneva: 31 January-8 February, 24 July-4 August, 12-26 September, and 1-10 November 2000. On 24 November, in response to the Secretary General's assessment of the talks (8 November 2000), which the leader of the Turkish Cypriots Rauf Denktash
Rauf Denktas
Rauf Raif Denktaş is the founder and the first president of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus , a de facto state which is only recognized by Turkey...
rejected, Denktash announced his withdrawal from the talks “because no progress could be made until two separate states are recognized”. He was supported in his decision by Turkey.
After almost a year of no talks and therefore little progress, Alvaro de Soto announced on 5 September 2001 that “on behalf of the Secretary-General I have conveyed to his Excellency The Greek Cypriot Leader Mr. Glafcos Clerides and his Excellency Mr. Rauf Denktash, the Turkish Cypriot leader, an invitation to resume the search for a comprehensive settlement to the Cyprus problem under the Secretary-General's auspices... with separate meetings of the Secretary-General with each of the two leaders on 12 September 2001 in New York." Denktash rejected Annan’s invitation on the same day, but the visit to Cyprus in October 2001 of the President of the European Commission Romano Prodi prompted him to think again. During his visit Prodi stated that Cyprus would become an EU member with or without a settlement. Shortly thereafter Denktash entered into correspondence with Clerides, and a meeting in the presence of Alvaro de Soto was organised in Nicosia on 4 December 2001. After the meeting, de Soto announced that the two leaders had agreed the following:
- That the United Nations Secretary-General, in the exercise of his mission of good offices, would invite the two leaders to direct talks;
- That these talks would be held in Cyprus starting in mid January 2002 on UN premises;
- That there would be no preconditions;
- That all issues would be on the table;
- That they would continue to negotiate in good faith until a comprehensive settlement was achieved;
- That nothing would be agreed until everything was agreed.
The new round of talks was held in Nicosia and ran from 16 January. In September the venue was moved to Paris, and then, in October, meetings were held in New York. After the New York meetings Alvaro de Soto, read a message from the Secretary-General to the effect that “a comprehensive settlement has to be a complex, integrated, legally binding and self-executing agreement, where the rights and obligations of all concerned are clear, unambiguous, and not subject to further negotiations."
On 11 November 2002, Alvaro de Soto presented a comprehensive plan for the resolution of the Cyprus issue (Annan Plan I). Following feedback, but no negotiations between the two sides, a revised version was published on 10 December (Annan Plan II), two days before the EU Copenhagen summit. In his report to the Security Council of 1 April 2003, Kofi Annan reveals that the Copenhagen European Council Summit of 12 and 13 December 2002 was seen as a deadline:
My Special Adviser helped to guide the discussions and by mid-2002 he was making concrete suggestions to assist the parties to build bridges. I refrained however from making a written substantive input until 11 November 2002, when, no breakthrough having been achieved, and believing that no other course of action remained open if the opportunity was to be seized, I put forward a document which I believed constituted a sound basis for agreement on a comprehensive settlement. Following intensive consultations, I put forward a revised proposal on 10 December 2002, hoping to assist the parties to reach agreement in time for the Copenhagen European Council on 12 and 13 December 2002.
According to Claire Palley, the revisions to Annan Plan I “were not even-handed”.
"... seen overall, the changes to Annan I, made before the Copenhagen summit, began to tilt the balance further than the existing ‘compromises’ in the ‘bridging proposals’ even though, for the sake of ‘face’, some relatively minor changes were made in response to Greek-Cypriot representations."
Intense pressure was exerted on both sides to agree to Annan Plan II before the Copenhagen Summit decision regarding Cyprus’ membership application but to no avail. Nevertheless the summit confirmed that all of Cyprus would become a member on 1 May 2004, but "in the absence of a settlement, the application of the acquis to the northern part of the island shall be suspended".
Cyprus will be admitted as a new Member State to the European Union. Nevertheless, the European Council confirms its strong preference for accession to the European Union by a united Cyprus. In this context it welcomes the commitment of the Greek Cypriots and the Turkish Cypriots to continue to negotiate with the objective of concluding a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus problem by 28 February 2003 on the basis of the UNSG’s proposals. The European Council believes that those proposals offer a unique opportunity to reach a settlement in the coming weeks and urges the leaders of the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities to seize this opportunity....
The European Council has decided that, in the absence of a settlement, the application of the acquis to the northern part of the island shall be suspended, until the Council decides unanimously otherwise, on the basis of a proposal by the Commission. Meanwhile, the Council invites the Commission, in consultation with the government of Cyprus, to consider ways of promoting economic development of the northern part of Cyprus and bringing it closer to the Union.
At the same time Turkey was told that a decision on a start date for accession negotiations would be delayed until after Cyprus had joined.
If the European Council in December 2004, on the basis of a report and a recommendation from the Commission, decides that Turkey fulfils the Copenhagen political criteria, the European Union will open accession negotiations with Turkey without delay.
Annan Plan III
There now followed a hasty attempt on the part of Alvaro de Soto and his team to come up with a version of the Plan which both sides could accept before the 28 February 2003, a deadline which had been set by the EU so that the whole process could be completed before Cyprus's signature of the EU accession treaty, which took place on 16 April 2003.In his Report of 1 April 2003, Kofi Annan wrote that he believed Annan III, which was submitted to the two sides two days before the deadline, should be the final version of the plan.
During the last week in February, I visited Turkey, Greece and Cyprus, and on 26 February I formally presented a third, and what I believed should be final, version of my plan, entitled Basis for a Comprehensive Settlement of the Cyprus Problem. Prior to my visit my Special Adviser had contributed to writing the important changes I had in mind. This version contained further refinements, particularly addressing the basic requirements of the Turkish side at the same time as meeting a number of Greek Cypriot concerns in order to maintain the overall balance. I also filled in all remaining gaps in the core parts of the plan, particularly those relating to security on which Greece and Turkey had not been able to agree.
According to Claire Palley, the UN team had “again made changes meeting Turkish concerns”, and she cites the phrase “particularly addressing the basic requirements of the Turkish side” from the paragraph above as confirmation.
Having presented the “final” version of the Plan, Kofi Annan invited the Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders to the Hague on 10 March, where they were to inform him whether they were prepared “to sign a commitment to submit the plan for approval at separate simultaneous referenda on 30 March 2003”. In the meantime the Plan had been altered with the addition of extensive “Corrigenda and clarifications”, and in this new form was presented to the leaders on 7 March 2003. On the Greek Cypriot side there had been a change of leadership following elections on 16 February in which Tassos Papadopoulos
Tassos Papadopoulos
Tassos Nikolaou Papadopoulos was a Cypriot politician. He served as the fifth President of the Republic of Cyprus from February 28, 2003 to February 28, 2008.His parents were Nicolas and Aggeliki from Assia. He was the first of three children...
was elected President of the Republic of Cyprus. He received the altered Plan when he was on his way to the Hague to meet the Secretary General.
On 10 March 2003 in The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
, Netherlands, the UN effort collapsed when Denktash told the Secretary-General he would not put the Annan Plan to referendum
Referendum
A referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy. It is a form of...
. According to the BBC, "ultimately it was the Turkish Cypriot side which refused to even talk further, and which was blamed for the failure of the peace process." In the same news article Denktash is quoted as saying: "The plan was unacceptable for us. This was not a plan we would ask our people to vote for."
In his report, Kofi Annan saw this as the end of the road:
On 11 March, at 0530 hours and following negotiations with the two leaders and the guarantor Powers lasting more than 19 hours, I announced that there had been no such agreement, and at that point the process which had begun in December 1999 reached the end of the road. The office in Cyprus of my Special Adviser, which opened in advance of the direct talks, is to close during April.
Annan Plans IV & V
As 2003 came to a close and the date for Cyprus’s accession to the EU approached, a flurry of diplomatic activity got under way to revive the negotiations. US State Department Special Cyprus Coordinator Thomas WestonThomas Weston
Thomas Weston may refer to:* Thomas Weston - Australian horticulturalist* Thomas Weston - British actor* Thomas Weston, 4th Earl of Portland * Thomas Crowley Weston - Cook Islands justice...
met with Foreign Minister George Papandreou
George Papandreou
Georgios A. Papandreou , commonly anglicised to George and shortened to Γιώργος in Greek, is a Greek politician who served as Prime Minister of Greece following his party's victory in the 2009 legislative election...
in Washington on 17 September 2003 and told him the USA wanted “an immediate restart of talks by the two sides on the island”.
At the meeting of the European Council
European Council
The European Council is an institution of the European Union. It comprises the heads of state or government of the EU member states, along with the President of the European Commission and the President of the European Council, currently Herman Van Rompuy...
in Brussels on 12 December 2003, the Council reiterated its preference “for a reunited Cyprus to join the Union on 1 May 2004” and urged “all parties concerned, and in particular Turkey and the Turkish Cypriot leadership, to strongly support the UN Secretary General's efforts” in an “immediate resumption of the talks on the basis of his proposals”.
In December Thomas Weston visited Greece, Cyprus, and Turkey; and the US President George Bush
George Bush
George Bush most often refers to:*George H. W. Bush , 41st President of the United States *George W. Bush , 43rd President of the United States , eldest son of George H. W...
wrote to the Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis
Costas Simitis
Konstantinos Simitis , usually referred to as Costas Simitis or Kostas Simitis, was Prime Minister of Greece and leader of the Panhellenic Socialist Movement from 1996 to 2004.- Biography :...
on 26 December urging him to push for a Cyprus settlement: “We now have a window of opportunity to reach a settlement so that a united Cyprus joins the European Union. We must not let that window close.”
Simitis responded by praising the Greek Cypriot side and pointing out that “time is running out due to the Turkish side's unwillingness to cooperate”.
In the meantime parliamentary elections in Northern Cyprus
Northern Cyprus parliamentary election, 2003
- Nationwide results:As published by the Turkish Cypriot Electoral Commission in the Official Gazette on February 22: - Difference in seats from 1998 election.-Aftermath:...
(14 December 2003) had changed the political landscape. Mehmet Ali Talat
Mehmet Ali Talat
Mehmet Ali Talat is the former President of the unrecognized Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. He was the leader of the left wing Republican Turkish Party . He became prime minister in 2004, and subsequently won the Presidential election held on 17 April 2005...
leading a coalition of pro-Annan-Plan parties had narrowly defeated the incumbent Prime Minister Derviş Eroğlu
Dervis Eroglu
Dr. Derviş Eroğlu is the President of the unrecognized Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. He was Prime Minister of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus from 1985 to 1994 and from 1996 to 2004, and leader of the National Unity Party. His party won the general elections in 2009 and Eroğlu...
. Elections had recently brought about a change of leadership in Turkey too, and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been Prime Minister of Turkey since 2003 and is chairman of the ruling Justice and Development Party , which holds a majority of the seats in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. Erdoğan served as Mayor of Istanbul from 1994 to 1998. He graduated in 1981 from Marmara...
had become prime minister on 14 March 2003. Erdoğan, keen to make progress on the issue of EU membership for Turkey, was “not in favor of following the Cyprus policy that has been followed for the last 30 or 40 years." He criticised Denktash, saying, "This is not Mr. Denktas’ personal business,” and adding that Denktash "should pay more attention to what Turkish Cypriots think and the growing protest against his rule". However analysts have suggested that he and Denktash were not so far apart in what they wanted from a settlement--they merely disagreed on tactics, with Erdoğan preferring that: "Neither Turkey nor Turkish Cyprus should give an uncompromising impression. We should not be the side keeping away from the negotiating table."
Following intervention by Erdoğan, the outcome of post-election manoeuvring in Northern Cyprus was that Talat formed a government in alliance with the Democratic Party led by Rauf Denktash’s son Serdar Denktash. However Rauf Denktash remained President, since the President is elected at separate elections.
On 4 February 2004, after having discussed matters with President Bush, Kofi Annan sent a letter to both sides in which he invited them to New York on 10 February 2004. In his letter, Annan proposed that talks resume with the aim of finalizing the plan by 31 March, and holding the referendum on 21 April. He also reserved for himself the task of completing the text of the plan if necessary:
“It is clearly desirable that the text should emerge completed from the negotiations... However, should that not happen, I would, by 31 March, make any indispensable suggestions to complete the text. Naturally I would only do this with the greatest of reluctance...”
At New York pressure was exerted on the two sides to grant the Secretary General the powers of an arbitrator or mediator, but the Greek-Cypriot side would not agree. The Security Council had asked the Secretary General to facilitate negotiations within the framework of his “good offices”, and any extension to that mandate should have been sought from the Security Council, where, however, any one of its members could have used a veto to deny the request.
After intense negotiations the procedure outlined in Annan’s letter was organised into phases. In Phase 1 the Cypriot parties would negotiate “within the framework of my [Annan’s] mission of good offices” in Nicosia from 19 February in order to produce a final text by 22 March. Negotiations were to be restricted to matters that fell “within the parameters of the Plan”.
In the absence of agreement, Phase 2 would involve the Secretary General convening a meeting of the two sides, “with the participation of Greece and Turkey in order to lend their collaboration, in a concentrated effort to agree on a finalized text by 29 March.”
In Phase 3 the Secretary General would use his “discretion to finalize the text to be submitted to referenda on the basis of my plan”.
The procedure enlarged the role foreseen for me, from completing any unfinished parts of the plan (filling in the blanks) to resolving any continuing and persistent deadlocks in the negotiations...
When Phase 1 got under way, the two Cypriot leaders, Rauf Denktash and Tassos Papadopoulos, met nearly every day for negotiations facilitated by Alvaro de Soto. In addition, numerous technical committees and subcommittees met in parallel to work on the details. In his report the UNSG noted that Phase 1 of the effort “did not produce significant progress at the political level. However, positive results were achieved at the technical level by experts from the two sides assisted by United Nations experts.”
According to Claire Palley, problems and delays were created in this phase by Dentash’s insistence on “producing proposals well beyond the Plan’s parameters”. For example the Turkish side “demanded massive EU derogations”, and “insisted on a right for all Turkish settlers to remain”. James Ker-Lindsay notes that: “The situation was also hindered by the bad atmosphere generated by Rauf Denktash, who appeared determined to scupper the process by holding frequent press conferences at which he revealed as much as he could to the media.”
In addition Denktash caused a “mini-crisis” (so described in Annan’s Report) by declaring that he would not be attending the Phase 2 talks. In fact it was a major crisis. Technically the Phase 2 talks could not take place without the Turkish Cypriot leader there to negotiate with the Greek Cypriot leader, and Tassos Papadopoulos would have been within his rights to refuse to participate in the absence of the leader of the Turkish Cypriots. As it was he merely “stressed the need for a credible interlocutor who would represent the Turkish Cypriot side” and pointed out at the last Phase 1 meeting that no progress had been achieved on substantial issues.
Phase 2 was scheduled to take place in Bürgenstock
Bürgenstock
The Bürgenstock is a mountain above the Lake Lucerne in Switzerland. It is a very famous viewpoint because the mountain is almost completely surrounded by the lake and the summit is accessible by the Hammetschwand Elevator.- External links :*...
on 24 March 2004. After consultation with the Turkish government, Denktash agreed to confer full negotiating authority on Talat the Prime Minister, and his son Serdar Denktash, the Foreign Minister. According to Claire Palley, the Greek Cypriot side was pressured by “the UN and various Powers” to treat Talat and Serdar Denktash as leaders, but in reality Rauf Denktash remained leader of the Turkish Cypriots “able at any time to withdraw his negotiating authority or to veto decisions.”
At Bürgenstock, the Turkish side wanted quadrilateral meetings (the two Cypriot delegations plus Greece and Turkey), but the Greek Cypriots objected that this had been discussed and rejected at the New York meetings. The role of the Greek and Turkish representatives was not supposed to include participating directly in the negotiations.
The first meeting for negotiations between the Cypriot sides was arranged for 24 March, but it was cancelled by de Soto at the request of Talat, two hours before it was to take place. No further formal meetings were arranged.
Instead de Soto tried to get Tassos Papadopoulos to give him a prioritised wish list. The Greek Cypriots feared that if they gave such a list it would be used to justify “trade-offs” and thus allow for drastic changes to the plan in Phase 3 outside of already agreed parameters.
On 25 March de Soto tried to get the Cypriot parties to sign a commitment document, but it was pointed out to him that this was not part of the agreed procedure.
On 26 March Ambassador Uğur Ziyal of Turkey’s Foreign Ministry gave a list of “Final Points” to de Soto with the demand that the changes requested therein be made by the UN team. When the Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan arrived in Bürgenstock on 29 March, he was informed by Annan that nine of his eleven “points” had been agreed to by the UN team, and that the other two were virtually met. That this was the case became clear when Annan Plan IV was presented to the two sides on 29 March, and the Turkish side leaked Ziyal’s document.
The delegations were asked by Annan to provide him with their comments on Annan IV, which contained “numerous amendments, including changes on core issues and reopening substantial trade-offs, previously agreed” within less than 24 hours so that he could finalise the Plan. The final plan, Annan Plan V, was tabled on 31 March. It met all of Turkey’s demands. In presenting it Kofi Annan said:
Let me be clear. The choice is not between this settlement plan and some other magical or mythical solution. In reality, at this stage, the choice is between this settlement and no settlement....
This plan is fair. It is designed to work. And I believe it provides Cypriots with a secure framework for a common future. At the end of the day, of course, it does not matter what I think. It is what the people think that counts. They decide—and rightly so.
Referendum
The separate simultaneous referenda held in Cyprus on 24 April 2004 resulted in the majority Greek Cypriot population voting down the UN Plan (75.38% against), whereas the minority Turkish Cypriot population (including the settlers from Turkey who outnumbered them) voted for the Plan (64.91% in favour). The turn-out was high: 89.18% for the Greek Cypriots and 87% for the Turkish Cypriots.The political leaders of both sides (Tassos Papadopoulos and Rauf Denktash) had campaigned for a 'no' vote, but Talat had campaigned for a ‘yes’ vote, strongly supported by Turkey.
In exit polls 75% of the Greek Cypriots who voted ‘No’ cited ‘security concerns’ as the main reason for their choice. Turkey had not only once again been given the right of unilateral military intervention, but would be allowed to keep a large number of troops in Cyprus after a settlement, whereas the National Guard was to be dissolved.
An academic study of the electorate's response to the Annan Plan states that it was doomed to rejection at the polls, because it was developed through an “ill-designed process of secret diplomacy” which disregarded the views of the Cypriot public. The study recommends that future efforts should incorporate consultation with the public into the negotiation process..
United Nations
“The Security Council... respects the outcome of both referenda... shares the Secretary-General’s disappointment that efforts since 1999 to reunify the island have not succeeded and regrets that an extraordinary and historic opportunity to resolve the Cyprus issue has been missed. The Security Council reiterates its strong support for an overall political settlement in Cyprus.- Security Council Statement on Cyprus, 30 April 2004.
"I remain convinced that the plan I put forward is the only realistic basis for reunifying the island, which I believe is the sincere desire of the majority of Cypriots in both communities. I hope that before too long the Greek Cypriots will have an opportunity to consider the plan more calmly, and to judge it on its true merits."
- Kofi AnnanKofi AnnanKofi Atta Annan is a Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh Secretary-General of the UN from 1 January 1997 to 31 December 2006...
, U.N. Secretary General, Press Conference, UN Headquarters, New York, 28 April 2004.
"Together with a broad cross-section of the international community, the Secretary-General remains convinced that the settlement plan put to the two sides in today's referenda represents a fair, viable and carefully balanced compromise--one that conforms with the long-agreed parameters for a solution and with the Security Council's vision for a settlement, and meets the minimum requirements of all concerned."
- Statement attributable to the Spokesman of the Secretary-General Álvaro de SotoÁlvaro de SotoÁlvaro de Soto is a Peruvian diplomat. He ended a 25 year career with the United Nations in May 2007.-Early years:De Soto studied law and international relations in Lima and Geneva prior to enlisting in his country's diplomatic corps...
, 24 April 2004.
European Union
A few days before the referendum, on Wednesday, 21 April 2004 The European ParliamentEuropean Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
passed a resolution on Cyprus which included the following statements:
The European Parliament
2. Expresses its support, and welcomes the initiative of the United Nations Secretary-General...
3. Acknowledges - although it would unreservedly welcome a united Cyprus as a member of the European Union - the right of Cypriots to decide for themselves on the plan in a referendum without pressure from the outside and will respect such a decision, but points out that a broad, fact-based information campaign is still necessary;
4. Considers that this final document constitutes a historic compromise which would end one of the longest-running conflicts in Europe and could serve as a shining example for handling equally difficult international issues;
5. Considers that the final revised plan institutionalises a functional federal system of government which is able to ensure that a reunited Cyprus can speak with one voice and fully play its role in the framework of the European institutions, and calls on all parties to fulfil their obligations with honesty and openness;
Following the referendum the European Commission
European Commission
The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union....
issued the following statement to the press:
The European Commission deeply regrets that the Greek Cypriot community did not approve the comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus problem, but it respects the democratic decision of the people. A unique opportunity to bring about a solution to the long-lasting Cyprus issue has been missed. The European Commission would like to warmly congratulate Turkish Cypriots for their "Yes" vote. This signals a clear desire of the community to resolve the island's problem. The Commission is ready to consider ways of further promoting economic development of the northern part of Cyprus...
United Kingdom
"We must now act to end the isolation of northern Cyprus…It means lifting sanctions on trade and travel. It also means ensuring that EU funds currently available for dispersal are actually dispersed."- Press statement of the British Prime Minister Tony BlairTony BlairAnthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
2004.
"The UK Government believes steps should be taken as quickly as possible to end the isolation of the Turkish Cypriots."
- Deputy Foreign Minister of UK Baroness Symons 2004.
"The Turkish Cypriots can reasonably ask that they should not be the victims of this setback; and yet it is they who are left in limbo outside the European Union. But what is now needed, surely, is to remove all discrimination against people who are, after all, citizens of the European Union and to prepare the Turkish Cypriots and their legislation and administrative practices for eventual European membership."
- Speech of UK Special Representative for Cyprus Lord Hannay 2004.
"I believe that it was a great shame that the Greek Cypriots voted no, and that it was a mistake to reject the Annan plan. We strongly believe that the Turkish Cypriots, who voted for a peaceful resolution of the Cyprus problem, should not be penalised because the Greek Cypriots rejected the UN settlement plans. Turkish Cypriots demonstrated their desire to be in the EU, as part of a united island.... The clear majority vote by the Turkish Cypriot community at the referendum on 24 April to accept the UN Secretary General's plan for a settlement of the Cyprus problem has not gone unnoticed. The Government of UK believes steps should be taken as quickly as possible to end the isolation of the Turkish Cypriots."
- Speech of UK Minister for European Affairs Denis MacShaneDenis MacShaneDenis MacShane is a British politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Rotherham since the 1994 by-election and served as the Minister for Europe from 2002 until 2005, as well as being a current Policy Council member for Labour Friends of Israel.On 14 October 2010, it was announced...
2004.
United States of America
"We have certainly been looking at steps to ease the isolation of the Turkish Cypriot side. Our ambassador in Cyprus last week announced a step with regard to extending the validity of visas for Turkish Cypriots that makes it easier for them to travel, particularly for the students who might come to the United States. So that's one thing that we've announced already. We'll be looking at other steps that we can take and making those known at the appropriate time."- US State Department Spokesman Richard BoucherRichard BoucherRichard A. Boucher is Deputy Secretary-General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development . He took up post on 5 November 2009. Prior to joining OECD, he was the Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, a post he took up on February 21, 2006...
2004.
"We are disappointed that a majority of Greek Cypriots voted against the settlement plan. Failure of the referenda in the Greek Cypriot community is a setback to the hopes of those on the island who voted for the settlement and to the international community."
- Spokesman of the US State Department Richard BoucherRichard BoucherRichard A. Boucher is Deputy Secretary-General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development . He took up post on 5 November 2009. Prior to joining OECD, he was the Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, a post he took up on February 21, 2006...
in 2004
"We think that a Greek Cypriot vote against the settlement means that a unique and historic opportunity was lost. We believe the settlement was fair. It has been accepted by the Turkish Cypriot side. There will not be a better settlement. There is no other deal. There is no better deal available. And we hope that the Greek Cypriots will come to comprehend this in due time.
We have nothing but praise for the courageous Turkish Cypriots who voted for this settlement.... There's not a new negotiation plan, there's not a renegotiation plan. This is the deal.
We do think that there was a lot of manipulation by the Greek Cypriot leaders in the run-up to the election; that the outcome was regrettable but not surprising, given those actions. I think the Europeans as well have made clear --statements by External Relations Commissioner Chris Patten
Chris Patten
Christopher Francis Patten, Baron Patten of Barnes, CH, PC , is the last Governor of British Hong Kong, a former British Conservative politician, and the current chairman of the BBC Trust....
, European Parliamentary President Pat Cox
Pat Cox
Pat Cox is an Irish politician and former television current affairs presenter. He was President of the European Parliament from 2002 to 2004 and served as a member of the European Parliament from 1989–2004....
, Enlargement Commissioner Verheugen--that they have strong concerns in that regard as well."
- US Secretary of State Colin PowellColin PowellColin Luther Powell is an American statesman and a retired four-star general in the United States Army. He was the 65th United States Secretary of State, serving under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2005. He was the first African American to serve in that position. During his military...
2004
Other
"Pretending that a plan better conceived, more functional, or otherwise more favourable to the Greek Cypriot position could be offered any time soon is quite misleading. Protestations to that effect have only the generic purpose of leaving room for hope and goodwill that could come to fruition under favourably evolving circumstances. The future of peaceful accommodation in the region depends on constructive relations between Turkey and the European Union and on continued prudence in the bilateral relations between Greece and Turkey". Germany "The German Government regrets that a "yes" vote was only achieved in the northern part of the island in today's referenda in Cyprus. It is disappointing that the citizens in the south of the island did not seize the great opportunity for reunification which the Annan Plan offered. Unfortunately, a reunited Cyprus will not now be joining the European Union on 1 May."
- German Foreign Minister Joschka FischerJoschka FischerJoseph Martin "Joschka" Fischer is a German politician of the Alliance '90/The Greens. He served as Foreign Minister and Vice Chancellor of Germany in the cabinet of Gerhard Schröder from 1998 to 2005...
's statement of 24 April 2004 (unofficial translation)
Early Modern France "France hopes that the Commission, in accordance with the conclusions of the Copenhagen European Council of December 2002, proposes that proper measures be taken to promote the economic development of the northern part of the island and bring it closer to the Union."
- French Foreign Ministry's statement of 25 April 2004
Bangladesh "BangladeshBangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
expresses its deep disappointment at the rejection of the UN Plan for the reunification of Cyprus, by one community in Cyprus.... Bangladesh believes that those who voted for the UN plan in Cyprus should now be given the opportunity to restore immediately their economic and trade activities internationally without any restriction."
- Bangladesh Foreign Ministry's Press Release of 25 April 2004
Czech Republic "On 1st May 2004, Cyprus will become EU member. The Turkish inhabitants of Cyprus have expressed in the referendum their will for the unification of Cyprus. They should not become hostages of the situation they will face after 1st May resulting from the refusal of the Annan plan in the south part of the island. The Czech MFA believes that the EU and the international community will find a way to help the north part of Cyprus to overcome economic and social consequences of the decades of international isolation."
- Statement by the Czech Foreign Ministry, 24 April 2004
Sweden "We appreciate the initiative of Prime Minister Erdoğan and of the Turkish Government in order to re-unite Cyprus. Now, the EU must evaluate how it can contribute and facilitate the trade in the island and the border crossings between the two parts."
- Swedish Prime Minister Göran PerssonGöran PerssonHans Göran Persson was the Prime Minister of Sweden from 1996 to 2006 and the leader of the Swedish Social Democratic Party from 1996 to 2007. Conceding defeat in the September 2006 general election, he announced that he would resign as party leader, and Mona Sahlin was elected to succeed him as...
, 2004
Austria "The Austrian Foreign Minister Benita Ferrero-WaldnerBenita Ferrero-Waldner
Dr. Benita Ferrero-Waldner is an Austrian diplomat and politician, and a member of the conservative Austrian People's Party . Ferrero-Waldner served as the Foreign Minister of Austria 2000–2004 and was the candidate of the Austrian People's Party in the Austrian presidential election, 2004, which...
expressed her regret at the negative outcome of the referendum on the Greek side of Cyprus.
The fact that the referendum resulted in a positive vote on the Turkish side of Cyprus should be appropriately honored by the international community."
- Austrian Foreign Minister Ferrero-Waldner 2004
Organization of the Islamic Conference "It is our duty to put an end to the isolation of Turkish Cypriots."
- Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC) Mr. Belkeziz 2004.
"What happened in Cyprus with the Annan plan in reality has nothing to do with the Turkish Cypriots, but the main issue was Turkey's accession into the European Union and the pseudo-state was used as pawn."
- Eser Karakas, Professor at the Bahcesehir University in Turkey, as quoted in Haravgi (Greek Cypriot) newspaper, 27 October 2004
"If the Greek-Cypriots say 'no' to the Annan plan, we will take them to a new referendum, until they say yes."
- Lord Hanney, the British architect of the Annan plan
Against the plan
- "I consider the Annan plan to be fundamentally flawed. To put it in common language I consider that plan to be a non-starter. It is so incompatible with international law and international human rights norms that it is nothing less than shocking that the organisation would bend to political pressure and political interest on the part of my country of nationality [the USA] and Great Britain, in order to cater for the interests of a NATO partner.... I think it is not salvageable, quite honestly. I think it cannot be saved, and if it were saved I think it would be a major disservice not only to the Cypriot people but a disservice to international law; because everything that we at the UN have tried to build over 60 years, the norms of international law that have emerged in international treaties, in resolutions of the Security Council, would be weakened if not made ridiculous by an arrangement that essentially ignores them, makes them irrelevant or acts completely against the letter and spirit of those treaties and resolutions." Alfred de ZayasAlfred-Maurice de ZayasAlfred-Maurice de Zayas is an American lawyer, writer, historian, a leading expert in the field of human rights, as well as a former high-ranking United Nations official...
, a leading expert in the field of human rights, as well as a former high-ranking United Nations official.
- "It appeared that the UN and the EU were bent on legitimising at least some of the consequences of the Turkish invasion of 1974, because the EU wanted to take the Cyprus issue off the table in order to facilitate negotiations on Turkey's accession to the EU... Greek Cypriots would not have freedom of movement in their own country. In a way, the Greek Cypriots would have been ghettoised." Shlomo AvineriShlomo AvineriShlomo Avineri is an Israeli political scientist. He is Professor of Political Science at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem....
, Professor at the Hebrew University, Jerusalem and former Director-General of Israel's foreign ministry.
- "... had he [Annan] been more closely involved in the details, [he] would not have wished his name to be historically associated with such departures from international law and human rights standards. ...a significant opportunity to reach an agreed settlement was lost as a result of the conduct of the UN Secretariat, advised by the USA and the UK.... The Secretariat sought to mislead the international community through the Secretary-General's Reports and briefings it prepared, so as to pressure a small state effectively to accept the consequences of aggression by a large neighbouring state allied to two permanent members of the Security Council." Claire Palley, Constitutional Law adviser to Cypriot governments since 1980, in 'An International Relations Debacle', 2005
- "The terms of the Annan Plan would in fact have embedded instability into the heart of a Cyprus settlement and would inevitably have led to increasing friction and destabilisation. This is underlined by the provisions concerning the position of foreign nationals with effective control over key areas of governmental activities in Cyprus. Examples where non-Cypriots would (in the event of disagreement between the equal numbers of Greek and Turkish Cypriots) have effective control appeared to include the Reconciliation Commission; the Supreme Court invested with legislative and executive powers; the Central Bank; the Relocation Board; the Property Court and the organs of the Property Board. Bearing in mind the experience of the period 1960-63, the need for stability in the ordering of governmental activities is critical. Further, the foreign nationals concerned would not be democratically accountable to the people of Cyprus." International Group of Legal Experts (Andreas Auer, Switzerland, Professor of Constitutional Law, University of Geneva; Mark Bossuyt, Belgium, Professor of International Law, University of Antwerp; Peter T. Burns, Canada, Former Dean of the UBC Law Faculty, Professor of Law, University of British Columbia, Vancouver; Alfred de ZayasAlfred-Maurice de ZayasAlfred-Maurice de Zayas is an American lawyer, writer, historian, a leading expert in the field of human rights, as well as a former high-ranking United Nations official...
, USA, Geneva School of Diplomacy, Former Secretary, UN Human Rights Committee; Silvio-Marcus Helmons, Belgium, Emeritus Professor of Université Catholique de Louvain, Public International Law and Human Rights; George Kasimatis, Greece, Emeritus Professor of University of Athens, Constitutional Law, Honorary President of the International Association of Constitutional Law; Dieter Oberndörfer, Germany, Professor Emeritus, Political Science, University of Freiburg; Malcolm N. Shaw QC, UK, The Sir Robert Jennings Professor of International Law, University of Leicester.)
- “With regard to the referendums in Cyprus, Parliament’s primary objective should be to apply to itself the principles which it is shouting from the rooftops: observance of human rights and respect for democracy. On the first point, the Annan plan raises fundamental objections. How could the European Parliament endorse a proposed settlement which denies refugees the right to recover the property taken from them, which constitutes a permanent restriction on people’s freedom of movement and establishment, which perpetuates the presence of occupying troops and which does not provide any recourse against violations of human rights before the Strasbourg Court? On the second point, Parliament must not go along with the scandalous pressure being piled onto the Greek Cypriots by both the United States and the European Commission – and in particular by Commissioner Verheugen, one of the keenest advocates of Turkey’s accession to the European Union. The rule of democracy means that the decision of the people must be respected, especially if expressed in the most undeniable way in this respect: a referendum.” Dominique SouchetDominique SouchetDominique Souchet is a member of the National Assembly of France. He represents the Vendée department, is a member of the Movement for France and does not align himself with any parliamentary group....
, Member European ParliamentEuropean ParliamentThe European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
, France.
- "The parties to the UN negotiations, Greece, Turkey, the (Greek) Cypriot government and the (still internationally unrecognised) Turkish Cypriot administration met in April at Bürgenstock in Switzerland, having allowed Kofi Annan in advance to make his own arbitration decisions on any unresolved issues when the negotiations ended; in their final stages a last minute tranche of extra demands were made by the Turkish military—which the Turkish Cypriots had not asked for and did not want. Urged on by the EU and the US, Annan accepted them all—including the proposal that Turkish troops remain in the island in perpetuity. This concession was calculated to smooth the path of Turkey towards EU membership (the deadline for negotiation on which has been set for the end of 2004) and to demonise the Greek Cypriots as scapegoats if a political solution did not materialise. In the short term this part of the plot has worked. The Turkish Cypriot "yes" and the Greek Cypriot "no" in the subsequent referenda generated carefully choreographed accusations against the Greek Cypriots of "democratic irresponsibility", not wanting the island's reunification and jeopardising Turkey's EU membership." Christopher PriceChristopher Price (UK politician)Christopher Price is a former Labour politician in the United Kingdom.Price was educated at Leeds Grammar School and The Queen's College, Oxford where he was secretary of the Labour Club in 1953...
, former Labour politician in the United Kingdom.
- "The final version of the plan isn’t a package on which the parties ever agreed. It is a mass of coercions written by aides to the UN secretary- general saying, ‘this meets you halfway’ and then communicated to the parties. Secondly, there’s no precedent in international law of bringing such a blueprint to a referendum. A referendum should be based on a definite text prepared by an authority, or it should be a text on which the parties are agreed so that the people know that the agreement will be accepted if they vote in its favor. None of these conditions now exists. The UN General Secretariat, whose authority is controversial, exercised its ‘goodwill mission’ [good offices mission] granted by the Security Council and made the parties accept it through threats and deception. The text is devoid of compromise. Thirdly, setting aside judicial disagreements on various issues, this ‘map of zones’ is a map being presented to those who’ll live there without any discussion." Mumtaz Soysal in "Mistakes and Deception", Cumhuriyet,2 April 2004.
See also
- 2004 Annan Plan Referendum
- Cypriot refugees
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Further reading
- Van Coufoudakis & Klearchos Kyriakides, The Case Against the Annan Plan, 2003 (ISBN 0-9538891-1-4). Also online at http://www.lobbyforcyprus.org/annanplan/Lobby-Annan-book-lo-res.pdf.
- Claire Palley, An International Relations Debacle: The UN Secretary-general's Mission of Good Offices in Cyprus 1999-2004. Hart Publishing, 2005, pp. 224. (ISBN 1-84113-578-X)
- International Group of Legal Experts, "A principled basis for a just and lasting Cyprus settlement in the light of International and European Law" at http://agora-dialogue.com/?p=26620. Includes an extensive critique of the Annan Plan in the light of international law.
External links
- The Annan Plan: full text and additional information from the United Nations
- Cyprus Decides: a bipartisan information resource about the Plan
- The Republic of Cyprus: press and information office
- The BBC report on the plan
- Journalist Makarios Drousiotis wrote extensively on the Annan Plan from a Cypriot perspective
- Annan Plan: The "known-unknown" behind the scenes facts: Site with information for and against the Annan Plan with many rare and unknown documents [in Greek]
- “The Annan Plan” by Pavlos Andronikos. Originally published in Neos KosmosNeos Kosmos (newspaper)Neos Kosmos is a Greek language newspaper published in Melbourne, Australia every Monday and Thursday. In 2010 it launched a third edition every Saturday with Australia's first English language Greek newspaper. Founded in 1957, it is published by Ethnic Publications Pty. Ltd.-External links:* *...
English Weekly (Melbourne) 25 Nov., 2 & 9 Dec. 2002. - The “Yes” and the “No” Votes: An Explanation.
- Cypriots split over UN plan.
- Still torn
- Campaign against the Annan Plan (in Greek)
- "The Annan Plan and the Implantation of Turkish Settlers in the Occupied Territory of Cyprus" by Alfred de ZayasAlfred-Maurice de ZayasAlfred-Maurice de Zayas is an American lawyer, writer, historian, a leading expert in the field of human rights, as well as a former high-ranking United Nations official...
, a leading expert in the field of human rights, as well as a former high-ranking United Nations official.