Our View: Threatening not to renew Unficyp mandate is a risky move

The spat over the renovation of the Cetinkaya stadium in the buffer zone that has been going on for a couple of weeks appears to be taking on bigger dimensions.

Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides spoke ‘sternly’ to UN Special Representative Colin Stewart on the phone. The foreign ministry however only released scant details of the conversation but Phileleftheros managed to get the full extent of what was said, publishing it on Sunday.

According to the report, Kasoulides said the government’s issue with the renovation of the stadium for Turkish Cypriot footballers to train is firstly not being asked for permission by the UN, secondly that occupation troops were assisting the works, and thirdly that once ground is given, it will not be relinquished especially as the football pitch is to have a six-metre fence in case the ball lands on the Greek Cypriot side. You almost couldn’t make it up.

The minister called for a halt until a framework has been agreed because it’s not within Unficyp’s mandate to approve or not approve what goes on in the buffer zone as technically the force’s job is to maintain the status quo.

The bigger issue is of course the growing fear that the UN will make a separate agreement with the Turkish Cypriot side which the latter is demanding under its new ‘equal sovereignty’ policy.

Unficyp is here at the invitation of the recognised Cyprus government. The Turkish side does not have a say and because this has rankled, it has for years made it difficult on and off for Unficyp personnel to carry out some of their duties.

It seems that now, according to the government, Unficyp is doing whatever it wants in the buffer zone, and facilitating the Turkish side, without taking into consideration that approval is needed from the Republic.

Kasoulides’ conversation with Stewart, based on the reports of the phone call, seem to suggest that there is a good chance a deal between Unficyp and the Turkish Cypriot side could be made shortly before the presidential elections. This would be seen as a new step towards recognition of the north.

What was surprising was that Kasoulides reportedly said that if a deal goes ahead the government would be forced to withdraw its consent for renewal of Unficyp’s rolling six-monthly mandate.

This was a rather large threat to put out there considering there is no Cyprus solution and no alternative to Unficyp.

Ironically, contentious issues like the stadium renovation, Turkish encroachment at Strovilia and farming in the buffer zone have always been used by the Greek Cypriot side to argue for the continued presence of Unficyp on the island.

Therefore, threatening that we might not agree to the renewal of the mandate at any stage without a solution seems a bit far-fetched and perhaps it is something that should not have made its way into the public debate on the Cyprob, which is on shaky ground as it is.