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Cyprus PIO: News Update in English, 04-01-29
From: The Republic of Cyprus Press and Information Office Server at <http://www.pio.gov.cy/>
[01]Thursday, 29 January 2004 President Papadopoulos reiterates readiness
for new round of talks
[02] UN Chief says agreement by end of March is necessary to meet 1 May
deadline
[03] PACE calls on Cyprus parties to resume peace talks without delay
[04] Cyprus issue discussed at the meeting between Bush and Erdogan
[05] Schwimmer: We need courage for Cyprus settlement
[06] Russian Foreign Ministry issues statement on Cyprus
[01] President Papadopoulos reiterates readiness for new round of
talks
"The Greek Cypriot side and myself are ready to respond positively to any
invitation of the Secretary-General to a new round of talks, on the basis
of his plan with the aim of achieving a more functional and just solution
which, as a result will be durable and viable and will enable Cyprus to
play its full role in the European Union after its formal accession on the
1st of May 2004", the President of the Republic, Mr Tassos Papadopoulos,
stressed during his address before the Parliamentary Assembly of the
Council of Europe, yesterday in Strasbourg. President Papadopoulos referred
to the recent statements by Turkish officials that Ankara was ready for new
moves on Cyprus, expressing the hope that those reports reflected the
Turkish side's real aims and were not merely a 'public relations'
campaign. "Unfortunately, the initial picture has been confused by other
contradictory and confusing statements, which retract or conflict with
previous statements", the President said, noting that "it would be unwise
to rush into assessments and conclusions before we are formally and
reliably informed of the true state of affairs."
"Ever since the collapse of the talks in The Hague in March 2003, as a
result of the rejection of the Annan Plan by the Turkish Cypriot side, we
have been advocating the resumption of the United Nations process, at the
earliest possible point in time, with the aim of reaching a solution before
the 1st of May 2004, so that a reunited Cyprus could join the European
Union. However, the longstanding negative stance of the Turkish side
thwarted all of our efforts", President Papadopoulos added. He then
reiterated his readiness to proceed immediately with meaningful and
substantive negotiations on the basis of and within the parameters of the
Annan plan and the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions, in order to
reach a functional and thus viable solution of the Cyprus problem by 1 May
2004, and expressed the hope that the Turkish side would also genuinely
demonstrate the required political will to that end and within the
aforementioned parameters. Mr Papadopoulos will be in Brussels today where
he will meet, this afternoon, the UN Secretary-General Mr Kofi Annan for
talks on the Cyprus issue.
[02] UN Chief says agreement by end of March is necessary to meet 1 May
deadline
The United Nations Secretary-General, Mr Kofi Annan, has noted that a
solution of the Cyprus problem based on his plan must be reached by the end
of March, in order to have enough time to hold simultaneous referenda in
April to meet the deadline of 1 May 2004, when Cyprus would officially join
the European Union. Speaking yesterday at a joint news conference with EU
Commission President Mr Romano Prodi in Brussels, the UN Chief, who will
meet President Tassos Papadopoulos in the Belgian capital today, said he
would decide when peace talks should be resumed when he had gathered all
the necessary information and after talks with the Greek side and Turkish
Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash. "The conditions are clear and I think the
parties must be prepared to show willingness to solve these problems so
that they can go forward, because if we begin, everyone must understand
that we must do our utmost to complete the process by 1st May", Mr Annan
pointed out. He explained that his good offices were available provided
that the parties would demonstrate the will and the determination to find a
solution and noted, "If indeed we are going to try and settle this issue
early enough for the expansion on the 1st of May, then if you work
backwards we don't have much time".
"The plan on the table does envisage that the parties may have the
possibility of negotiating changes in the plan, and it also indicated that
where they were not able to agree, they may give me the authority to fill
in the gaps", he added. Referring to his recent meeting with Turkish
Premier Mr Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Davos, Mr Annan said it had been "very
encouraging" and added, "He told me that his country is prepared to resume
negotiations and I think that is a good decision. He made some proposals to
me and I am currently studying them very seriously".
In his remarks to the press, the Commission President Mr Romano Prodi said
he had thanked the UN Secretary-General for his peace efforts in Cyprus and
noted that the EU was convinced that a window of opportunity still existed
for a settlement on the basis of the Annan plan before the accession date.
"The Commission can provide technical assistance to the UN on issues
relating to European law. We are ready to accommodate the terms of a
settlement on the basis of the SG's plan. We are also ready to organise an
international donor's conference to mobilize financial support for needs
arising for a settlement", Mr Prodi added. He also recalled his recent
discussions with Mr Erdogan in Ankara, during which he had insisted that
"the Union wants to see an agreement before the 1st of May so that a united
Cyprus can join the EU". Moreover, in statements to the press after his
meeting yesterday with the Irish Foreign Minister and Acting EU President
Mr Brian Cowen, the UN Secretary-General said he would want the European
Union "to encourage all the parties concerned to really garner the will,
the political will, to resolve this issue as quickly as possible".
"Even if the parties were to negotiate changes to it, all this will have to
be done by end of March for them to be able to have the simultaneous
referenda in April to meet the 1st of May deadline. If that deadline is not
met I think that part of the question I will defer to the Minister [Mr
Cowen] and the EU", Mr Annan stressed. On his part, the Irish Foreign
Minister pledged that the Irish Presidency of the EU would do everything
possible to assist the peace efforts and expressed the hope that the
negotiations could be resumed "with the necessary political will and
determination and obligation to succeed upon resumption". "The European
Union Presidency believes that we wish to see the responsibility that's on
us all to successfully conclude these negotiations before enlargement if at
all possible. That would be the best solution for everybody. It would be
the best solution for all Cypriots, in our view, and we hope and wish well
the initiative that is beginning to emerge and we hope it will bring about
the successful conclusion we all hope to see", Mr Cowen added.
[03] PACE calls on Cyprus parties to resume peace talks without delay
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has called on
the leaders of the two communities in Cyprus ''to resume negotiations
without delay on the basis of the Annan plan, in good faith, with a view to
reaching a political settlement of the Cyprus problem by 1 May 2004". In a
resolution, adopted unanimously yesterday, PACE deplored the failure, in
March 2003, of negotiations for a Cyprus settlement on the basis of the
plan presented by the UN Secretary-General, "when Turkish Cypriot leader Mr
Rauf Denktash rejected the plan while the President of the Republic of
Cyprus Mr Tassos Papadopoulos appeared willing to sign it". "It is for the
leaders of the two communities to overcome the pattern of confrontation
based on past fears and on efforts to secure unilateral advantages and to
turn to the future of their communities, which share the same island and
will hopefully have a common future within the European Union", the
resolution underlined. The rapporteur, Mr Matyas Eorsi (Hungary, LDR),
hoped that "the political leaders of the two Cypriot communities be fully
aware of their responsibilities to their people and act in the interests of
their future. They must make new and substantial efforts to reach a
compromise acceptable to both sides.'' The Assembly also called on Greece
and Turkey to contribute to the resumption of the negotiations on the basis
of the Annan plan and on Turkey, in particular, "to show good will for
restoring confidence with the Republic of Cyprus by withdrawing, prior to
reaching a comprehensive solution of the Cyprus issue, a considerable
number of its troops deployed in the northern part of Cyprus". Furthermore,
it called on the European Union "to reconsider how it could encourage
Turkey's positive involvement in the search for a settlement of the Cyprus
problem by giving the Turkish authorities clearer guarantees for the
opening of accession negotiations, once the appropriate criteria are
fulfilled and this is confirmed by the European Union". PACE encouraged the
UN Secretary-General "to resume his efforts as soon as an opportunity
arises and urges him to pay special attention to security issues on the
island, which are the main source of mutual mistrust, and to embark on
negotiations with the flexibility required for the purpose". In a
recommendation, also adopted unanimously, PACE welcomed the initiatives of
the UN Secretary-General and the activities of the Council of Europe aimed
at contributing to the reconciliation of the Cypriot communities and at
facilitating, in the framework of the efforts of the international
community, a fair and durable resolution to the Cyprus problem, in the
respect of the principles and values of the Council of Europe. It also
recommended to the Committee of Ministers to envisage a more active
contribution on behalf of the Council of Europe to the search for a
settlement in Cyprus. The full texts of the Resolution and Recommendation
on Cyprus can be found .
[04] Cyprus issue discussed at the meeting between Bush and Erdogan
The United States President, Mr George W. Bush, and Turkey's Prime Minister,
Mr Recep Tayyip Erdogan, had a meeting yesterday at the Oval Office, in
Washington D.C. After their talks both Mr Bush and Mr Erdogan made
statements to the press referring, inter alia, to the Cyprus issue. The US
President said Mr Erdogan had briefed him on the Cyprus talks and added: "I
appreciated his trying to find a solution --a solution to a long-standing
dispute." For his part, the Turkish Prime Minister said:
"We spoke of the fact that we support the goodwill mission of the Secretary
General of the United Nations, and we are willing to restart the negotiations,
taking Annan's plan as a reference point. I state once again that the
Turkish side is determined for a solution, we will always be a step ahead
of our Greek counterparts and we're determined to solve this as soon as
possible." In another statement at the media stakeout following a working
lunch, the Turkish Prime Minister stated, inter alia, the following:
"We have determined that we support the goodwill mission of the secretary-
general of the United Nations. And by taking his plan, the Annan plan, as a
reference point, we will continue in our efforts to restart negotiations.
And we have declared that Turkey and the Turkish Party will always be a
step ahead of their Greek and Greek Cypriot counterparts for a settlement."
Moreover, the White House Spokesman Mr Scott McClellan, asked during
yesterday's briefing how important it was for US President George Bush to
reach a solution before May 1st, said that the "US is committed to helping
in the efforts to find a solution on the issue of Cyprus". He added that
last Saturday in Davos, the Turkish Prime Minister "demonstrated a strong
willingness to advance a Cyprus agreement on the basis of the Secretary-
General's fair and balanced plan,'' and concluded: "We urge our Greek
Cypriot friends to agree to finalize a settlement and allow the Secretary
General to resolve outstanding issues, if necessary, and submit a
settlement to referenda by a date certain. Because we believe such a
settlement will bring greater stability and prosperity to all people on
Cyprus and in Turkey as they move toward deeper integration into Europe."
[05] Schwimmer: We need courage for Cyprus settlement
In the framework of his visit to Strasbourg and his speech before the
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the President of the
Republic Mr Tassos Papadopoulos had separate meetings with the Secretary
General of the Council of Europe Mr Walter Schwimmer, the President of the
Parliamentary Assembly Mr Peter Schieder and other officials. After his
meeting with Mr Schwimmer, President Papadopoulos said "it has always been
our basic aim to find a solution, which will reunify the Republic of Cyprus
so that a reunified Cyprus will enter the EU by 1st of May". Asked what he
expected from his visit he replied "I had the opportunity of talking with
the Secretary-General and with the President of the Assembly on the
prospects of recent developments and I think this exchange of views is
always very, very helpful and very interesting." The Council of Europe's
Secretary General said that Turkey would play "a decisive role" in efforts
to solve the Cyprus problem and expressed hope that the Turkish side would
make courageous steps. Replying to questions, Mr Schwimmer said "the window
of opportunity in my view is still open until the time of accession of
Cyprus to the EU for the sake of all the citizens of Cyprus. I hope a
united Cyprus will enter the EU and a united Cyprus and all citizens of
Cyprus will also enjoy the rights, the opportunities of citizens of a
member country of the Council of Europe enjoying all the rights under
Council of Europe Conventions, Human Rights protection mechanisms."
"I think the advantages are there. The advantages have only to be seen and
let's go ahead and I will from my side, try to facilitate. I will invite
again the leaders of political parties of both communities of the Republic
of Cyprus and I hope that will help to encourage all to take the right
steps," he added. Replying to another question as to whether he saw any
courageous steps from the Turkish side Mr Schwimmer, said:
"I see the readiness for courageous steps. Of course we cannot take a
solution for granted, we have to work for it. We need courage for a
solution, but at the end I think there is no alternative."
[06] Russian Foreign Ministry issues statement on Cyprus
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation has issued a
press statement on Cyprus, last Tuesday, in which it points out that the
latest developments regarding the Cyprus issue allow the Russian Foreign
Ministry to say that "a more favourable atmosphere for the renewal in the
nearest future of the negotiations on the settlement of the Cyprus problem
is being created". The full statement is as follows: "The latest developments
around Cyprus allow to say that a more favourable atmosphere for the
renewal in the nearest future of the negotiations on the settlement of the
Cyprus problem is being created. The readiness reaffirmed by the leadership
of the Republic of Cyprus to continue the negotiating process as well as
the results of the recent meeting between Prime Minister of Turkey Mr R. T.
Erdogan and UN Secretary General Mr K. Annan in Davos, where the Turkish
leader has expressed positive mood of Ankara with regard to the negotiations
on Cyprus, are in particular an evidence in favour of that. It would be
important to support and develop this favourable dynamic. We believe that
considerations suggested earlier by Mr K. Annan on the comprehensive
settlement maintain their positive potential and will serve as the basis
for the continuation of direct talks between the Cyprus Sides under the
auspices of the United Nations Secretary General. Russia is ready for
further cooperation with her partners in the UN Security Council and other
parties concerned supporting the UN Secretary General's mission of 'good
offices' with an aim of achieving a just, viable and comprehensive solution
to the Cyprus problem on the basis of the relevant UN Security Council
resolutions".
From the Republic of Cyprus Press and Information Office (PIO) Server at http://www.pio.gov.cy/
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