UN Secretary General officially recognises TRNC?

President Talat and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon

When UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon sat down for talks with TRNC President Talat at the Presidential Palace in Lefkoşa, it was clear to many that a protocol had been breached. By attending an official meeting at a TRNC official office the Secretary General had recognised the TRNC. GCs blamed the TCs for forcing Ban to meet there, an accusation which would imply that the Secretary General was either too weak to refuse or too ignorant of the situation in Cyprus to understand the implications of his actions. Both of these explanations would appear not to be true.

Alexander Downer, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Adviser on Cyprus, used to being the focus of GC fury was unmoved by the current complaints and refused to apologise. DIKO leader Marios Garoyian was earlier quoted as saying:

“It is a blow to the impartiality and dependability of the United Nations. Mr. Ban is in breach of the UN’s principles and remit. We urge him to give explanations and make amends, and to reiterate his support for UN Security Council resolutions which condemn the establishment of the breakaway regime.”

Apparently, according to the Cyprus Mail,  the diplomatic community “is absolutely disgusted” with the reaction of the majority of the Cypriot parties.

“The man is here to help find a solution, and this is how he is treated. These people want the kind of solution that is non-negotiable.”

EDEK’s Antonis Koutaliano’s response was that the Secretary General’s visit to the Presidential Palace was an “unacceptable” and “unprecedented” action that was in breach of UN Security Council resolutions 541 and 550.

Let’s see if Ban Ki-moon apologises to these GC politicians or, as expected, follows the rest of the world and ignores them. One thing is clear though, now the world can see why the Cyprus Talks will never succeed and why there is nothing that Turkey can do to change GC politicians’ uncompromising stance. Perhaps now the Cyprus issue can be removed as a pre-condition to Turkey’s entry to the EU.

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