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Cyprus PIO: News Update in English, 03-07-08
From: The Republic of Cyprus Press and Information Office Server at <http://www.pio.gov.cy/>
[01]Tuesday, 08 July 2003 Foreign Minister departs for Athens
[02] Council of Europe ready to contribute further to confidence building
in Cyprus, says Schwimmer
[01] Foreign Minister departs for Athens
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Georgios Iacovou, departed yesterday
afternoon for Athens for meetings with the Greek government. He is heading
a delegation composed by the Deputy Attorney General, Mr Petros Clerides,
and Cyprus' Permanent Representative to the Council of Europe in Strasbourg.
Speaking upon departure at Larnaca Airport, Mr Iacovou pointed out that the
purpose of the trip was the coordination of action by Athens and Nicosia at
the Council of Europe, involving, in particular, the handling of recent
moves by Turkey as regards cases pending before the European Court of Human
Rights. Replying to a question on the possibility that Turkey might take
some initiatives for the solution of the Cyprus problem, the Foreign
Minister stressed that he had no information as to any measure to be taken
by Turkey. He added that "skillfully and through various ways, Turkey and
the occupying regime are spreading rumours on different scenarios that they
might propose or not in the future". Mr Iacovou also said that concerning
oneself with such issues was not really helping, and pointed out that the
Cyprus Government was monitoring the situation closely and assessing the
various information that were being collected.
As regards information about a possible meeting between President
Papadopoulos and the UN Secretary-General, on the sidelines of the
forthcoming UN General Assembly in September, Mr Iacovou said, "It is usual
for the President of the Republic and for all the Heads of State and
Government who are addressing the General Assembly to be meeting with the
UN Secretary-General". "There is no doubt that Mr Annan will discuss with
President Papadopoulos mainly the Cyprus problem and its future course", Mr
Iacovou noted. He further said that there was a possibility that the
Turkish Cypriot leader, Mr Rauf Denktash, would be invited also to meet
with the UN Secretary-General, some time after the meeting between Mr Annan
and Mr Papadopoulos, on the sidelines of the General Assembly meeting.
Mr Iacovou expressed the hope that the period following the UN General
Assembly meeting would be the timeframe when various initiatives on the
Cyprus problem by the international community would begin to unfold.
[02] Council of Europe ready to contribute further to confidence building
in Cyprus, says Schwimmer
The Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Mr Walter Schwimmer, has
pointed out that the CoE was ready to contribute to the last stages of
confidence building among the two communities in Cyprus, in support of the
efforts of the UN Secretary-General, Mr Kofi Annan, to bring an end to the
longstanding division of the island. He further noted that CoE officials
were "already developing ideas in the fields of reform of history teaching
and the media, but also in other fields". In his opening speech at a
roundtable meeting with Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot political party
representatives, yesterday in Strasbourg, Mr Schwimmer referred to the
recent developments on the island, saying that "a new reality is emerging
in Cyprus that is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore". "Your island
has suddenly become a symbol for the hope that even long standing and
seemingly inextricable conflicts can be resolved and that the painstaking
work of confidence building finally yields positive results", he added.
With regard to Cyprus' EU course, the CoE Secretary General noted, "For the
moment unfortunately it seems that only one part of the island will accede
de facto, but from next year on, all of Cyprus will be de jure part of the
European Union. There is now this famous window of opportunity which for
all of us is so important to use". Referring to the Annan plan, Mr
Schwimmer admitted that "the Council of Europe may not have been very happy
about the way in which our Organisation has been involved in the preparation
of this document", adding that in spite of that fact, "for the overwhelming
majority of the international community, this plan remains the main basis
for any solution of the issue". "When the Cyprus question will be answered
one not too distant day, there should be no winners or losers - there
should be Cypriots belonging to Europe", Mr Schwimmer stressed.
Furthermore, speaking at a press conference following his meeting with
Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot political party representatives, Mr
Schwimmer said he would discuss with the UN Secretary-General, in New York
this month, ways in which the Council of Europe could contribute to efforts
for finding a solution to the Cyprus issue. "I will report to Kofi Annan
about the results of today's meeting and also ask for his opinion what we
could and should contribute in the future, but only on the full agreement
of the UN, that is very clear", he said. "Cyprus is too small to be
divided. Cyprus is a place where the two communities can live together in
peace", Mr Schwimmer said and stressed that there was no other alternative
but to resume without delay the peace negotiations, under the auspices of
the UN. Prior to the meeting, the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot
political party representatives and the CoE Secretary General planned a
"tree of reconciliation and unity of Cyprus", which was symbolically
covered with soil from both the government-controlled and the Turkish-
occupied areas of the Republic. The Cypriot cedar tree was planned in the
Parc de l'Orangerie, in the presence of the Mayor of Strasbourg, Ms
Fabienne Keller. In a statement during the planting ceremony, Mr Schwimmer
noted, "This little tree has travelled from your island to be planted into
the soil of Strasbourg, the city-symbol of the first post-war European
reconciliation. We are planting it today, together, to set a sign for your
commitment and for the commitment of Europe to the unity of Cyprus within
Europe. It shall also set a sign that the hope of all Cypriots which has
been raised with the opening of the gates of the Green Line, two months ago,
will continue to live and be fulfilled." "May it take firm roots in the
soil of Europe and grow and prosper as Cyprus", the CoE Secretary General
concluded.
From the Republic of Cyprus Press and Information Office (PIO) Server at http://www.pio.gov.cy/
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