Cyprus PIO: News Update in English, 02-05-14

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From: The Republic of Cyprus Press and Information Office Server at <http://www.pio.gov.cy/>

Tuesday, 14 May 2002

CONTENTS

• [01] President Clerides meets with US Ambassador to Cyprus
• [02] Restoration of the Rocas Bastion begins
• [03] Reference to Cyprus in General Affairs' Council Conclusions on the Middle East

[01] President Clerides meets with US Ambassador to Cyprus

In a statement to the press after the meeting Mr Bandler said that with the President they discussed a broad range of issues related to the Cyprus problem and naturally the forthcoming visit of the UN Secretary General, which he described as very important. He also pointed out that this visit offers the opportunity to achieve some progress towards a comprehensive solution of the Cyprus problem, that the US Government would like to see.

Asked to comment on the statement made by the UN Secretary General's Special Adviser on Cyprus Mr Alvaro de Soto that the purpose of Mr Annan's visit here is to achieve a tangible result until the end of June, the US Ambassador said that the sense of "tangible" in this case must give the sense of something real, of a move forward. The long-standing policy of the United States is to see a movement towards a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus problem, as soon as possible.

The US Ambassador said that any negotiation on a particular problem does not get resolved overnight, it goes step by step, issue by issue in a 'give and take' process. Progress on the core issues of the Cyprus problem, progress towards a comprehensive solution can take various forms, he said, and expressed the certainty that Mr de Soto's reference to a tangible result means something real and concrete.

Asked what one should really expect from Mr Annan's visit, Mr Bandler said that the UN Secretary General will have serious conversations with the two leaders. He described Mr Annan as an important international figure, who is working on the Cyprus problem through his Good Offices Mission and expressed the belief that his visit offers a good opportunity to catalyse the political will that is needed to get tangible results.

[02] Restoration of the Rocas Bastion begins

The project will be completed in six months time and will be financed by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the United Nations Development Programme. The project was made possible following an agreement between the Cyprus Government and the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP).

[03] Reference to Cyprus in General Affairs' Council Conclusions on the Middle East

In its conclusions on the Middle East, the EU General Affairs Council stated the following:

"The Council welcomes the end of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem crisis, calls on all sides to respect religious and cultural monuments of the region and reiterates its gratitude to the government of the Republic of Cyprus for its valuable assistance to the EU governments in provisionally accepting the 13 Palestinians on its territory.

The Council welcomes the offer by Member States to provide a temporary stay on humanitarian grounds within the EU to a number of Palestinians until recently held up in the Church of the Nativity.

We understand that this offer was made in the context of the extreme circumstances surrounding this issue and as a way out of the crisis that could have had widespread ramifications if it had continued.

The EU in accordance with the undertakings given to the Government of the Republic of Cyprus by the EU Presidency will relocate these Palestinians in certain EU Member States.

The Council agrees to ask Coreper to define the relevant modalities in the next few days."

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

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