Cyprus Mail: Press Review in English, 98-04-03

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From: The Cyprus Mail at <http://www.cynews.com/>

Friday, April 3, 1998

Envoys arriving with new ideas?

THE ARRIVAL in Cyprus of a host of foreign mediators, who are expected to push for a resumption of the stalled peace talks, was the main story in most papers.

Simerini claimed that the main reason for the sudden visit of both Russian and American diplomats was the S-300 missiles. It said that Russian Foreign Ministry official Vladimir Tchizov had talks in Ankara before arriving in Cyprus. Today, President Clinton's envoy to Cyprus Richard Holbrooke is also expected.

Quoting diplomatic circles in Athens, the paper reported that the simultaneous visits of Tchizov, Holbrooke and State Department Co-ordinator Thomas Miller, constituted an "urgent and co-ordinated attempt to settle the matter of the missiles once and for all". Turkey has threatened to strike if Cyprus deployed the missiles.

Alithia reported that Holbrooke would be bringing specific ideas aimed at kick-starting the negotiations. Miller would be meeting President Clerides and Rauf Denktash to prepare the ground for Holbrooke. The US hoped both sides would accept its ideas.

Clerides had been briefed, on general lines, about the US ideas, but has refused to say anything. In fact, the government had even avoided confirming Holbrooke's visit, the paper said.

Phileleftheros said that the US proposals would include the lifting of the trade embargo on the occupied territory, the removal of Greece's veto of the EU Financial Protocol with Turkey, promotion of confidence-building measures between the two sides and the cancellation of the deployment of the S-300 missiles.

All that the Cyprus government was prepared to say was that the visit by Holbrooke, who is determined to break the deadlock, had been planned for the first week in April. Diplomatic sources in the US were "cautiously optimistic" about the prospect of a "mini-agreement" on security and confidence-building issues.

Haravghi also reported that Holbrooke's objective was the resumption of the talks. It wondered what the Greek Cypriot side had done to break the deadlock and open the way to a settlement.

It also asked whether the government was prepared to face the pressure that would be put on it, with regard to the missile deployment. It also predicted that the US envoys would press the government to accept some of Denktash's demands so that the talks could resume.

Agon said that the members of the UN Security Council had rejected Denktash's demands for recognition of the pseudo-state and for changing the basis of the talks - from intercommunal to inter-state.

Machi reported that the Turkish occupation forces had upgraded their equipment in the north. Turkish-made, multiple rocket launchers had been deployed. The US Pentagon had been informed about the move.

© Copyright Cyprus Mail 1998

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