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Friday, 22 November 2024
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Cyprus PIO: News Update in English, 97-01-24Cyprus Press and Information Office: News Updates in English Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The Republic of Cyprus Press and Information Office Server at <http://www.pio.gov.cy/>News UpdateFriday, 24/01/97CONTENTS
[01] Will US shoot down Turkish warplanes, asks Greek Foreign MinisterGreece yesterday questioned whether the United States was willing to shoot down Turkish warplanes in order to guarantee a ban on military overflights of Cyprus.Greek Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos cast doubt on the effectiveness of a US proposal for a ban on flights over the island by Greek and Turkish warplanes in exchange for Cyprus cancelling the purchase of a Russian air defence system. "Does this mean that the US will act as a guarantor of the ban on overflights no matter what happens?" Pangalos asked a group of reporters in Athens. "Does this mean that if the Turks intensify the situation on Cyprus, the American air force will intervene to destroy Turkish aircraft that will come?". Pangalos explained that if the US were willing to prevent Turkey from repeating its 1974 invasion of the island "then this is a very interesting proposal and we can talk about it". Pangalos said Greece was ready "for any development that will defuse tensions in the Aegean Sea. We do not construct tension and do not prop up our policies on tension". [02] US is willing to play whatever role it is asked to play on CyprusThe US has said that it is willing to play whatever role Greece, Turkey and Cyprus want it to play and did not exclude the possibility that the US would provide some kind of guarantee for the moratorium on military flights over Cyprus."We've told the Greeks and Turks and the Cypriot government that we're willing to play whatever role they want us to play, but they have to determine that", US Department of State Spokesman Nicholas Burns said yesterday. "We're going to have to determine what our role is going to be but we're going to do this privately, not publicly", he added. "The best possible solution is if they take matters into their own hands and talk directly". "Greeks and Turks often talk directly to government officials. Cypriot government officials talk to Turks. That's healthy. Sometimes they need some facilitation. The United Nations provides that; the United States sometimes; the United Kingdom sometimes. We're happy to play that role. Very happy", he said. Asked to comment on Greek Foreign Minister Pangalos' query whether the US was willing to shoot down Turkish warplanes, Mr Burns said. "No one is going to shoot down anyone's planes. This issue will be resolved peacefully because Greece is a NATO ally of Turkey and the United States is a NATO ally of both". "We're for talking, discussing, negotiating. We're not for the use of force or the threat of use of force. We're for persuasion", he added. Mr Burns added that the US would continue to work on the flight moratorium over Cyprus and said it was good to see that Greece and Turkey and Cyprus have an interest in talking about it. "We're going to try to help them put together an agreement on flight moratoriums on Cyprus. I don't believe they're there yet, but we'll do most of this in private, not in public ", he said. "It's a very important confidence building measure as we seek to resolve completely the Cyprus problem". [03] Labour in government will push for settlementBritish Shadow Foreign Secretary, Robin Cook, gave assurances yesterday that a Labour government would be willing to assist in any way it can in finding a settlement to the protracted Cyprus problem.Cook conferred separately with President Clerides, House President Spyros Kyprianou, and Foreign Minister Alecos Michaelides. Speaking after his meetings, Cook expressed support for Cyprus' accession to the European Union (EU) and described accession negotiations as an opportunity to solve the Cyprus issue. "The Labour Party is very anxious that Cyprus should become a member and we believe it is a high priority as a candidate for membership", he added. He added that when Britain takes over the Presidency of the EU in the first half of 1998, then Labour would push for Cyprus' accession, as that will be the period in which negotiations for Union enlargement and accession talks with Cyprus are expected to begin. He noted those discussions "plainly give us the opportunity to see if we can find some solution that would resolve the dispute within the island, and give both Europe and Cyprus greater confidence of this membership". He said he now has a "very full understanding of the background to the situation in Cyprus". [04] British MPs join Greek Cypriot vigil outside Turkish Embassy in LondonAround 20 British Members of Parliament joined Greek Cypriots protestingsince last summer outside the Turkish Embassy in London against the violent murders of four of their compatriots by Turkish occupation troops. The show of solidarity followed a motion in the House of Commons that was signed by 121 MPs from all parties. "This vigil", the motion says, "is a clear expression of the anger of the Greek Cypriot community at the invasion and continuous occupation of their country and the ongoing denial of human rights and is an example to all people on how to protest with dignity and honour against the murder in cold blood of its citizens in their own country". [05] Cyprus "encouraged" by Clinton's commitment on CyprusCyprus stands ready to play its part in US President Bill Clinton's vision of a better tomorrow and in meeting the challenges and grasping the opportunities before us.In a message congratulating the US President on the occasion of the reconfirmation of his oath of office, Cyprus President Clerides expresses "deep appreciation" for his personal commitment to a just and lasting solution of the Cyprus problem and that its early settlement remains one of his highest priorities. "We remain encouraged by your continued commitment and determination to undertake an initiative during this year that will lead to a just and lasting solution of the problem of Cyprus", he says. [06] Greece and Cyprus Interior Ministries sign co-operation protocolThe Interior Ministers of Greece Alecos Papadopoulos arrived in Cyprus yesterday to sign two protocols of co-operation.The first was signed yesterday with the Ministry of the Interior and provides for co-operation between the two Ministries in various sectors, such as civil defence. He is scheduled to sign the second protocol today with Cyprus Finance Minister Christodoulos Christodoulou. [07] Two new ambassadors in CyprusPresident Clerides yesterday accepted the credentials of two new ambassadors to Cyprus.Denis A. N. Bannel and John Hagard of Belgium and Sweden respectively were received at separate ceremonies in Nicosia. President Clerides, speaking at the ceremonies, referred to the protracted Cyprus problem and noted that Cyprus' prospect to join the European Union "can serve as a catalyst" to efforts towards a solution. He added, however, that Cyprus should not be held hostage to Turkey's intransigence, nor should Turkey's negative stance be rewarded at Cyprus' expense. From the Republic of Cyprus Press and Information Office (PIO) Server at http://www.pio.gov.cy/Cyprus Press and Information Office: News Updates in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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