Search
/ 'US preparing 10-point plan'
/
THE Cyprus peace efforts featured prominently yesterday in the absence of a
big story.
_Phileleftheros
_ said that President Clerides had been called to give "critical answers"
to questions by the State Department's new Special Co-ordinator for Cyprus
Thomas Weston. During the meeting, Weston wrote down the views of the
government on issues of security, territory, refugees as well as the
procedure that should be followed at peace talks.
Clerides reportedly said that all issues should be discussed as a package,
but pointed out that the Turkish side's intentions should first be
established as there was no point in having "talks for the sake of talks".
Diplomatic sources said that Britain and the US believed talks, at which
Rauf Denktash will have the right to raise the issue of confederation,
would take place in the first two weeks of October.
_Haravghi
_ reported that a 10-point settlement plan had been prepared by the US and
had been forwarded to Athens, Ankara and Nicosia; the Cyprus government has
denied its existence. It said the US had been "cultivating optimism",
regarding the prospects of a settlement, and officials had expressed the
certainty that Clerides-Denktash talks would take place in October.
The plan envisaged the setting up of two cantons, under one state, a
rotating presidency between the two cantons, the return to the Greek side
of Morphou and Famagusta, the withdrawal of most of the Turkish troops and
the establishment of a 5,000 strong Nato peacekeeping force. Policing would
be carried out jointly.
_Alithia
_ said the Greek government had gone ahead with some "amazing openings in
the direction of Turkey" which have been very positively received by the US
and Europe. Foreign Minister George Papandreou opened the EU road to Turkey
by submitting a strategic plan at an EU meeting in Helsinki, which set a
time-plan for Turkey's accession course.
The first step would be for Turkey to become an "EU candidate" in December.
For every step to be completed, Turkey would have to meet certain
conditions such as contributing to progress in Cyprus. No decision had been
taken by the EU foreign ministers. Papandreou's plan provoked a storm of
protest in Greece with the opposition accusing the government of upgrading
Turkey-EU relations without Ankara satisfying any of the conditions that
had been set by the special EU summit.
_Simerini
_ reported that Limassol was in a state of turmoil after the latest murder
attempt in Heroes' Square on Saturday night. "Anger and despair reigned
among Limassolians" after the attack on a cabaret owner with an anti-tank
missile which had put the lives of innocent people at risk.
In a front-page editorial about the attack, the paper said: "It is not
acceptable for the government confusedly to watch the situation unfold. And
it is worrying that the conclusion that 'we do not have a police force' has
become ingrained in people's minds. Let us create a police force before
this conclusion takes on the more extreme form of 'we do not have a
government'."
_Politis
_ castigated the police for "nailing an innocent". It was referring to the
release from custody of Kyriacos Georgiou, who had been detained in
connection with a case of attempted murder. Georgiou's only crime was that
he was driving a white car, said the paper. Police destroyed his reputation
by leading him handcuffed to court and putting him behind bars for three
days.
Georgiou was a law-abiding citizen with no police record. However, to
convince police that he was innocent he had to make public details of his
private life, the paper said. A human rights campaigner claimed that three
basic human rights had been violated by the police in their dealings with
Georgiou.
_Machi
_ reported that Disy leader Nicos Anastassiades was set to embark on a
campaign promoting the work of the government and the prospects of his
party in response to all those who questioned his leadership.
© Copyright Cyprus Mail 1999
