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Cyprus PIO: News Update in English, 03-06-05
From: The Republic of Cyprus Press and Information Office Server at <http://www.pio.gov.cy/>
[01]Thursday, 05 June 2003 Britain closes Cyprus envoy's office
[02] Cabinet approves introduction of Turkish lessons in schools
[01] Britain closes Cyprus envoy's office
The British Foreign Secretary, Mr Jack Straw, announced yesterday before
the House of Commons that the Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, had accepted
the recommendation of Lord David Hannay that he should resign from his post
as Britain's Special Representative for Cyprus. Mr Straw added that his
government would not make a further appointment for the time being. In his
statement, the British Foreign Secretary noted that "this announcement in
no way indicates a weakening of the Government's determination to work with
others under the aegis of the UN to find a solution to the Cyprus problem",
adding that "should events again make it appropriate for a Special
Representative to be appointed, the Government will not hesitate to do so".
He further said that the search for a comprehensive settlement of the
Cyprus issue had been and still remained a high priority of the British
government. "For seven years, our contribution has been lead with great
distinction by Lord Hannay as Special Representative for Cyprus. But in the
light of recent developments, we have been reviewing the arrangements for
ensuring an active British input into Cyprus diplomacy", Mr Straw added. On
the UN-led peace efforts, the British Foreign Secretary cited the final
effort in The Hague which ended in failure, saying that the Turkish Cypriot
leader, Mr Rauf Denktash, bore the prime responsibility. Mr Straw
underlined that it was his government's firm view that the Annan plan
remained "the best way forward", and expressed Britain's agreement with the
UN Secretary-General's position that he should not take a new peace
initiative in Cyprus unless and until he was given a solid indication that
the parties involved had the political will to move towards a solution.
Commenting yesterday on the aforementioned decision by Britain, the
Government Spokesman Mr Kypros Chrysostomides said that the Cyprus
Government considered the decision "an internal matter of the United
Kingdom". He added that Nicosia was satisfied by Mr Straw's statement that
the decision did not imply a lessening of the British interest to
contribute to the efforts for resolving the Cyprus problem. Mr Chrysostomides
further said that the British government's decision to terminate Lord
Hannay's term had no substantial impact on efforts for a settlement.
[02] Cabinet approves introduction of Turkish lessons in schools
The Council of Ministers, in its regular meeting yesterday under the
chairmanship of the President of the Republic Mr Tassos Papadopoulos,
approved the introduction of Turkish language lessons as optional classes
in Lyceums and Technical Schools. It also decided to provide Greek language
lessons to Turkish Cypriots and Turkish language lessons to Greek Cypriots,
free of charge, through the State Education Institutes.
From the Republic of Cyprus Press and Information Office (PIO) Server at http://www.pio.gov.cy/
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