Elam leader rejects confidence-building measures and federal Cyprus solution

Nicosia, Cyprus. Elam leader Christos Christou on Monday reiterated his opposition to confidence-building measures and a federal solution to the Cyprus problem after a National Council meeting.

He said unilateral actions by the Republic of Cyprus aimed at bringing Turkey into negotiations were moving in the wrong direction.

Confidence-building measures

Christou said confidence-building measures had been repeated for decades without producing substantial results.

“We are making it clear once again that confidence-building measures or other unilateral actions undertaken by the Republic of Cyprus, simply to get occupying Turkey to accept being led into negotiations, we consider to be in the wrong direction,” he said.

Federal solution

On the prospect of a bizonal, bicommunal federation, Christou said Elam maintained its position that such a model would create an experimental state similar to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

He said Bosnia and Herzegovina’s system was based on a trizonal federation and did not function like a normal state.

Since the Dayton Agreement entered into force in 1995, Bosnia and Herzegovina has consisted of the majority Bosniak Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the majority Serb Republika Srpska and the mixed Brcko district, which operates under joint supervision.

The country has a rotating three-member presidency comprising a Bosniak and a Croat member elected from the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and a Serb member elected directly from Republika Srpska. Implementation of the Dayton Agreement is overseen by a foreign-born high representative.

UN secretary-general’s visit

Christou also said United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had not achieved what he described as the main objective of his visit to Cyprus last week: convincing Turkey to change its stance and assist efforts to resolve the Cyprus problem.

He said reports suggesting that a resolution could be reached in the coming months were unfounded at this stage and that discussion should be limited to known facts rather than assumptions.