Diplomat searches for peace in divided Cyprus
Swiss diplomat Didier Pfirter has spent the past four years helping to broker a peace settlement on the divided island of Cyprus.
As a special legal adviser to the United Nations, he has been heavily involved in the process of persuading Greek and Turkish Cypriots to end almost three decades of conflict.
Pfirter returned to the Cypriot capital, Nicosia, last month to encourage both sides to reach an agreement before the country joins the European Union on May 1.
Ahead of next week’s planned last-ditch negotiations in the Swiss city of Lucerne, Pfirter told swissinfo about the prospects for peace and about how the Swiss federal model has played a role in shaping a future constitution for Cyprus.
swissinfo: How did the proposal for a final round of talks in Switzerland come about?
Didier Pfirter: The Swiss government made an offer [to host the talks], which the UN accepted. There were good reasons to want both sides to make this last effort in an intense way and in an environment where everybody would be available around the clock in a 24-hour non-stop effort.
swissinfo: The Turkish Cypriot leader, Rauf Denktash, has signalled he won’t show up in Switzerland. Doesn’t this undermine the talks?
D.P.: For the time being, this is something he’s said only to the press. He’s not officially communicated this to the United Nations. But it would obviously provoke a certain crisis if he maintains this stance and we would have to see how it can be overcome. But both he and the Greek Cypriot leader are committed to negotiate until March 29 as part of the process which they signed up to in February.
swissinfo: Do you fear the negotiations are being rushed ahead of the May 1 deadline?
D.P.: We’re under tremendous time constraints and there are thousands of pages of laws that are being drafted for the [future] federal government. But the parties have known about the European Union calendar for many years now and they have wasted a lot of time.
So it seems that if the pressure is not there, time is not being put to good use – and it might only be possible to come to a conclusion if there is an outside constraint.
swissinfo: Can the Swiss federal model play a role in a reunified Cyprus?
D.P.: Not federalism as such, but the Swiss consensus model that we have provides some elements that are useful for Cyprus and other countries with conflicts like this.
It’s a model which has been quite successful in making it possible for people of different religious and linguistic backgrounds to live together in harmony. There are obviously some big differences: in Cyprus, there are going to be two states, whereas in Switzerland we have 26 cantons.
Elements that were drawn from the Swiss model include the relationship between the cantons and the federal government, as well as the fact that some federal laws are implemented by the cantons in Switzerland. So it’s true that there are a number of elements that were inspired by the Swiss model and which were then adapted to suit the particular conditions in Cyprus.
swissinfo: When dealing with both sides, is the fact that you are a Swiss diplomat an advantage?
D.P.: Yes, even though I’m here as part of the UN team and not as an official representative of Switzerland. But obviously people are aware of my nationality and I often see that Switzerland does enjoy a lot of good will.
The fact that we’re not engaged in any power games and don’t have an agenda – other than an agenda of peace and human rights – is acknowledged and does help the Swiss to be generally well accepted in playing the role of neutral facilitator.
swissinfo-interview: Ramsey Zarifeh
Cyprus was divided in 1974 when Turkey invaded the north, following a Greek Cypriot coup.
Under the United Nations plan, the Greek and Turkish Cypriot sides must unify in time for its entry into the European Union on May 1.
Both sides want changes made to the plan, particularly to parts dealing with territory and demilitarisation.
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