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Cyprus PIO: News Update in English, 03-03-13
From: The Republic of Cyprus Press and Information Office Server at <http://www.pio.gov.cy/>
[01]Thursday, 13 March 2003 Jean Christophe Pilori: the occupation of part
of Cyprus by Turkey has been repeatedly condemned by the United Nations
[02] Teresa Villiers: the failure of the talks must not be allowed to stop
Cyprus/ EU accession
[03] Green/EFA group say Denktash missed a historic opportunity
[01] Jean Christophe Pilori: the occupation of part of Cyprus by Turkey has
been repeatedly condemned by the United Nations
Mr Jean Christophe Pilori, Press Spokesman of the Commissioner for
Enlargement Gunter Verheugen, replying to questions on Cyprus yesterday
during his daily press briefing, underlined that the occupation of Cyprus
has been repeatedly condemned by the United Nations and is considered as a
situation which is not legal. The northern part of Cyprus has never been
recognized by the international community, he said. Mr Filori reiterated
that if there was no solution to the Cyprus problem by the end of 2004, the
EU would find itself before a situation that would be difficult to handle
politically, since there would be a candidate country requesting the start
of accession negotiations, while it would not recognize a country member of
the European Union. This, he added, would make the start of negotiations
with Turkey very difficult. Concluding Mr Filori clarified that in the
protocol of the Cyprus Accession Treaty, the implementation of the Acquis
Communautaire for the part of the island that would not be controlled by
the Government of Cyprus is postponed. This Protocol also envisages that in
the event of political settlement, it would be possible to implement the
Acquis Communautaire on the whole of Cyprus, he added.
[02] Teresa Villiers: the failure of the talks must not be allowed to stop
Cyprus/ EU accession
Theresa Villiers Conservative Member of the European Parliament for London
expressed her sadness and disappointment at the collapse of the UN
sponsored peace talks. Speaking at the European Parliament in Strasbourg on
11 March 2003, she said:
"Today is a sad day for Cyprus. The UN sponsored talks represented one of
the best chances there has ever been to reunify the island. Rauf Denktash/s
outright rejection of the Annan Plan and his refusal to put the Plan to a
referendum is a great shame. The people of Cyprus should have been given
the choice over the future of the island". "The failure of the talks must
not be allowed to stop Cyprus acceding to the European Union in 2004", she
concluded.
[03] Green/EFA group say Denktash missed a historic opportunity
Monica Frassoni, Co-President of the Green/EFA group deplored yesterday the
breakdown of the UN sponsored talks to reach a comprehensive settlement on
the reunification of Cyprus. In her press release issued on 11 March, Mrs
Frassoni, stated, inter alia, the following:
"The historic responsibility for the breakdown of the talks lies with the
leader of the Turkish Cypriots, Rauf Denktash, who rejected the UN
sponsored settlement, which was in reach. Denktash is completely out of
touch with his people, who are longing to end the division of Cyprus. I
regret that in spite of the extraordinary mobilisation of the people in
Northern Cyprus, Denktash was not willing to put the UN plan to a
referendum". She pointed out that "Green/EFA members were counting on a
reunified Cyprus in the European Union" adding that "it is an unbearable
thought that the future border of the European Union will be a green line
occupied by UN blue helmets." Mr Frassoni, said that there was still time
to make substantial and decisive progress before the end of March so that
the signature of the accession treaty in April could take into account
concrete prospects for the reunification. Finally she urged the European
peace movement to include the Cyprus conflict among its priorities.
"Concrete initiatives should be planned for this island to help the two
communities to find a genuine reconciliation, create a favourable Europe-
wide framework and make peace possible," she said.
From the Republic of Cyprus Press and Information Office (PIO) Server at http://www.pio.gov.cy/
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