[01]

Speaking after the meeting, Mr Papandreou said he briefed the President on his trip to Ankara, later this month and on developments in Greco-Turkish relations. They also exchanged views on the second round of UN-led proximity talks on Cyprus, which are expected to start by the end of January in Geneva.

Mr Papandreou said the Cyprus problem has become a European problem and pointed out that Turkey has important obligations as a result of the Helsinki decision by which it was officially declared a candidate country for accession to the EU.

Replying to journalists' questions, Mr Papandreou referred to President Clerides' proposal for the participation of Turkish Cypriots in the Cyprus negotiating team for accession to the EU.

He expressed support for the establishment of a joint Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot Non-Governmental organisation's' office in Luxembourg and pointed to EU support to projects for rapprochement between the two communities.

[02]

In his overview of the activities of US foreign policy in 1999, Mr Grossman underlined "the work with Greece and Turkey in Cyprus to try to bring some peace and stability to the eastern Mediterranean" and said that more progress is needed between Greece and Turkey and on Cyprus.

Replying to a journalist's question as to when the real talks on Cyprus would "kick off", and what his expectations for Cyprus are this year, Mr Grossman stressed that one should not "underplay the success of what happened in New York at the end of 1999."

The real talks have already begun in December, he said and reminded what the G8 called for in June of 1999: "The G-8 said that we want Cyprus talks to begin under U.N. auspices without preconditions. And that is exactly what happened in December".

"Now, there's going to be another round, I think, in Geneva toward the end of January. I think those talks will be real too", he added.

Referring to his expectations Mr Grossman said he would like to see a solution to the Cyprus problem "Our goal is clear -- bi-zonal, bi-communal, federated. I know that's not everybody's goal, but that's our position". In the short term, Mr Grossman said he would like to see the bi-communal contact started again: "I'd sure like to see Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots talking to one another again. I'd like to see some quality of life issues if you could get there -- get moving on that".

In response to a journalist's comment that the Cyprus problem has been solved a long while ago Mr Grossman said that according, to the perspective that is held by a very large number of people in a large number of countries, this isn't a solved problem.

"And that's what the G-8 was saying, that's what the United Nations was saying, and that's why people got together in New York to try to talk about these things. They didn't come to New York to decide the problem was solved, they came to New York to try to find some equitable solution here", he added.

In the world today, he said, "countries, people are kind of divided between people who are causing problems and people who are solving problems, and Cyprus ought to be in that category of problems that can be solved, and I think the countries ought to be working to do that".

[03]

In a letter addressed to the UN Secretary-General dated 3 January 2000, the Permanent Representative of Cyprus to the United Nations Ambassador Sotos Zackheos stated that these Turkish unauthorised intrusions are in violation of international air traffic rules and, at same time, they are in contravention of the provisions of the Security Council resolutions on Cyprus.

"Following the recent resumption of proximity talks under your auspices, it is hoped that the necessary positive attitude will be shown and provocations of this nature will end, so that they will not adversely affect the efforts to find a just and viable solution to the Cyprus problem, on the basis of United Nations resolutions", he concluded.

From the Republic of Cyprus Press and Information Office (PIO) Server at http://www.pio.gov.cy/

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