Nicosia, Cyprus. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ personal envoy on Cyprus, Maria Angela Holguin Cuellar, is exploring ideas for a new settlement framework intended to bridge differences between the two sides, Britain’s Independent reported on Monday.
The newspaper said the proposals are not an official United Nations plan but ideas being considered to help revive negotiations.
Governance structure
According to the report, the framework would be based on two constituent states with political equality and a federal government with significantly limited powers.
Most day-to-day governance would remain with the constituent states, while a small central administration would be responsible only for functions that could not be exercised separately.
Ideas outlined in the report include an alternating presidential council led by the two leaders, with a 2:1 or 3:1 rotation in favour of the Greek Cypriot side. It also refers to a supreme council of Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot representatives instead of a directly elected federal parliament.
The framework reportedly includes a joint cabinet with five or six ministries, including foreign affairs, defence, interior and citizenship, finance, and European affairs. At least one Turkish Cypriot minister would be required to cast a decisive vote on key cabinet decisions as a guarantee of political equality, a proposal the newspaper said could prove contentious.
Security and guarantees
The report said security remains one of the most difficult issues.
The Republic of Cyprus continues to seek the withdrawal of Turkish troops from the island, while the Turkish Cypriot side maintains that their presence is essential to the security of the Turkish Cypriot community.
Regarding the 1960 system of guarantees, the newspaper said one option being discussed is replacing the roles of Britain, Greece and Turkey with a NATO-backed security mechanism that could involve a small multinational military presence on the island.
Transitional measures
The UN is also considering a transitional period of two or three years, according to the report. This would begin with the return of territory, starting from Varosha, alongside the gradual implementation of longstanding Turkish Cypriot demands for direct trade, direct flights and direct international contacts.
The proposals reportedly also include easing Turkish restrictions, including allowing Cypriot-flagged ships access to Turkish ports.
Energy and EU-Turkey relations
The newspaper said progress on exploiting Cyprus’ offshore natural gas resources could be linked to a wider package involving EU-Turkey relations, including the possible modernisation of the EU-Turkey Customs Union.
