I just want to give you a very, very brief report on what happened during the course of today. The leaders met for a very big part of the day in a téte-à-téte session, but there was also substantial discussion about the economy, the economic chapter, and various aspects of that. The Representatives are likely to meet again in the latter part of next week. The next leaders’ meeting is going to be, as I think you already know, on the 16^th, that’s Wednesday. At that meeting there will be some discussion about the economy, but they’ll also be discussing at that meeting European Union matters. 

 

Question:  Mr Downer, is there a reason why the meeting ended sooner than expected? We were expecting a whole day of discussions. 

 

Mr Downer:  Well, the meeting went to about 3:15… An intensive process from a bit after 10 to a bit after 3, and there wasn’t much time taken today for a lunch break, or much less so than there often is. Sometimes there’s been a lunch break and the leaders have taken an hour for consultations with their teams, and hour or so for a consultation with their teams. After lunch today they didn’t do that. I think they just felt ‘Well, that’s enough for today. We have to plan for what we’re going to do next week, and also the week after”.   No, there’s no particular significance in it at all. It has been a fairly long time for them. 

 

Question: Do you think they will be concluding the economy chapter in the next meeting? Was progress made today on the economy chapter? 

 

Mr Downer:  You remember the Representatives talked about the economy at their last meeting. That was meant to be last Friday, but because of the rain that had to be put off. It wasn’t possible to get everybody together until Wednesday, yesterday. So, there was a long discussion about it yesterday. Many of those issues were canvassed and worked on. Some work has been done over night and those issues considered again today. A little bit more work will be done and a review of some of that work will take place, no doubt, when the leaders get together the next time, if not at the Representatives meeting, which will probably be, it’s not certain yet, will probably be next Thursday. In all of these chapters there’s been, as you know, an ongoing process; nothing is agreed until everything is agreed. So, there’s a lot of back and forth about it all. They’ve been working well through it. Because you know in the economy chapter there are fairly technical issues. Not hearts and minds stuff. It’s pretty technical stuff. 

 

Question:  Mr Downer, according to the Turkish Cypriot press you have said that Ankara, for the first time in so long, has expressed its desire for a solution…

 

Mr Downer: There is a slight misrepresentation of what I said. I commend you to the transcript of exactly what I said. I made the point that what the Turkish Prime Minister, Mr Erdogan, had done, I mean, Mr Davutoglu, the Foreign Minister, has said some of these things before…But, to the best of my recollection, it was the first time the Prime Minister of Turkey has been so specific and so clear about Turkey’s support for a bizonal, bicommunal federation, with political equality and a single international personality. It’s important, not just Mr Talat says that, or Mr Davutoglu as the Foreign Minister of Turkey, whoever it may be. But for the Prime Minister of Turkey to say that has obviously been a very significant statement, a very significant interview that he’s done, including with Greek Cypriot journalists, not just with Turkish Cypriot journalists. Now, what we at the United Nations want to do is see a progressive improvement in the atmosphere amongst all of the parties. Obviously, in particular, the Greek and Turkish Cypriots, but, as you know, Mr Talat and Mr Christofias have a very long-standing and a good personal relationship, that’s helpful. In addition to that, it’s very important that Greece and Turkey have a very positive attitude towards what is going on here in these negotiations. I was in Greece last week myself and I saw Minister Droutsas while I was there and officials from the Foreign Ministry. There is no doubt in my mind that Greece has a very great deal of good will towards the negotiations here, and I hope that those negotiations can succeed. That, by the way, should give Turkish Cypriots some comfort. Not just Greek Cypriots, but Turkish Cypriots. On the other hand, it’s very good to see that the Turkish Government, in the form of the Prime Minister of Turkey, is making the sorts of positive remarks that the Prime Minister has made to the media. And that should, I mean, you know, I have read the reactions of the people on the Greek Cypriot side to that; there’s no doubt the people have felt that this was a good statement made by Prime Minister Erdogan; that is an important part of the atmospherics. I know people say, "Well, let’s see what happens in practice"; of course they will say that. And let us ultimately hope that the negotiations succeed. But, I spent a bit of time on this [answer] because I think if not just the parties here in Cyprus, but people in Turkey and Greece, say positive things about the negotiation and provide support for the process of the negotiation, that obviously is helpful to the whole process. I, of course, don’t just mean those countries, [but also when] people like my own boss, the Secretary-General of the United Nations; the President of the European Commission, and other leaders around the world say positive things and encouraging things about the process, it demonstrates the strong degree of support around the world for success in these negotiations. 

 

Question: So, are you more or less optimistic since the negotiations started? 

 

Mr Downer: My position has not changed. The day I change my position is the day you run that as the lead story in your news. But that’s not the lead story to run today. I haven’t changed my position. 

 

Question:  Mr Downer, are there any thoughts of preparing a joint statement before the so-called elections in the occupied area saying that we’re close to an agreement?

 

Mr Downer: The leaders are likely to have. I cannot swear to this. They can, of course, always change their minds or come up with new ideas. But at this stage -- today is the 4^th of March -- it is a fair bit away. But their expectation at the moment is for their meeting on the 30^th of March to be the last one before the elections take place in the north, the first round of which are on the 18^th of April. They will work out at the end of that process what they want to say. So, we’ll just have to wait and see.    

 

 

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