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Cyprus PIO: News Update in English, 04-01-30
From: The Republic of Cyprus Press and Information Office Server at <http://www.pio.gov.cy/>
[01]Friday, 30 January 2004 President Papadopoulos appeals to Kofi Annan to
call for Cyprus talks immediately
[02] Powell pledges to assist Cyprus parties reach a settlement
[03] Talks will have to be based on the Annan Plan, says UN Chief
[01] President Papadopoulos appeals to Kofi Annan to call for Cyprus talks
immediately
The President of the Republic, Mr Tassos Papadopoulos, appealed to the UN
Secretary-General, Mr Kofi Annan, to call for new talks for a settlement of
the Cyprus problem immediately and reiterated the Greek Cypriot side's
readiness to engage in such talks the soonest possible. Speaking after a
meeting with the UN Chief yesterday in Brussels, President Papadopoulos
made the following statement: "We had a very good meeting with the
Secretary-General and I want to tell you that we appealed to the Secretary-
General that he may immediately call the talks. I repeated that we are
ready to take part in these talks for reaching a comprehensive, self-
executive agreement the soonest possible. We also think, this is our view,
that it's about time we start substantive talks, leave aside the efforts to
have public relations benefits. We lost quite a considerable time, time to
wait for developments in the Turkish Cypriot side. And time is really short,
so we must aim our talks which are result-oriented and not repeat the
previous exercises, where no progress was made and no serious negotiating
process was taken place. I repeat once more our readiness to engage in such
time the talks and our willingness to show all necessary good will and, if
possible, to be able to reach an agreement before May 1st. I repeat once
more, that our main aim is to see a reunited Cyprus joining the EU by May
1st". Invited to comment on the Turkish suggestion to appoint US Secretary
of State Colin Powell as a mediator in the talks, President Papadopoulos
said it was better to leave the issue to be decided by the UN Secretary-
General, noting that Mr Kofi Annan "gave us his initial reaction to that
and I think it's really a side issue".
"The main issue is not to waste any more time; To start immediately the
talks, hopefully to complete them in time so the reunited Cyprus joins the
EU", he added. Asked to say if the Secretary-General had given any hint as
to when the talks would resume, Mr Papadopoulos noted, "No. The Secretary-
General didn't touch upon the subject. He repeated his conditions, we gave
him our ideas as to how he can overcome whatever reservations there might
be, which he will consider".
As to whether he accepted all the conditions set forward by the UN
Secretary-General, the President said, "We never refused to have a
referendum when talks commence and we see that they progress well and both
sides show a spirit necessary, and as I said, we gave some ideas to the
Secretary-General as to how he might consider that we meet his conditions."
Asked if he was given the impression that new talks might be eminent, he
said he could not talk about impressions as "that is something that the
Secretary-General decides". "Unfortunately, I cannot tell you that the
Secretary-General is going either to call immediately the talks or whether
he will be satisfied with the ideas we gave him", President Papadopoulos
noted replying to another question. In other statements to the press, the
President said that his plea to Mr Kofi Annan was that "after all these
efforts from the UN and others involved, I think we deserve another chance
from the Secretary-General".
[02] Powell pledges to assist Cyprus parties reach a settlement
"We stand ready to use our good offices to help all the parties move
forward, but it is the Secretary-General's plan that we believe is the
operative plan and the manner in which we move forward", US Secretary of
State Mr Colin Powell has noted. Speaking yesterday after a meeting with
Turkish Foreign Minister Mr Abdullah Gull in Washington, Mr Powell pledged
that the United States would make every effort to assist the work towards a
settlement and added that he would get personally involved "as necessary to
work with the Secretary-General and the parties to see if we can solve this
long-standing and most difficult problem".
At the same time, he pointed out that the United States would not be a
mediator in the negotiations. "There's still much more work to be done, but
there is a moment of opportunity here that we hope to seize and have
referendums and resolve outstanding issues and, hopefully, get it all done
by the 1st of May", Mr Powell added.
Asked if Washington was putting any pressure on the Greek side following
the latest public statements by Turkish officials regarding the Cyprus
peace process, he noted, "I think it's time for all of us to put pressure
on all sides to get a resolution to this difficult situation; it's gone on
for so long. And I think we're getting close to a solution. So, to the
extend that we can assist the Secretary-General in his efforts, and assist
all the sides in coming together on the basis of the Secretary-General's
plan, then we will do so". On his part, the Turkish Foreign Minister said,
replying to a question, that Ankara regarded the Annan plan as a reference
point. "We will work on it and the negotiations will start, and the Annan
plan will be the reference", Mr Gul added.
[03] Talks will have to be based on the Annan Plan, says UN Chief
The UN Secretary-General, Mr Kofi Annan, has made clear that any new talks
for a settlement of the Cyprus problem would have to be based on his peace
plan. He further said that if negotiations were to begin soon, he would
prefer having a mediator who knew the issues at hand, like Peruvian
diplomat Alvaro de Soto. Speaking yesterday in Brussels during a press
conference at the European Parliament and invited to comment on information
that Turkey had asked for the appointment of US Secretary of State Colin
Powell as mediator in the talks, Mr Annan said:
"I believe my good friend Secretary of State Colin Powell already has a job,
he has his hands full. But, let me say that I have been engaged with the
Cyprus process for quite a while. I've had a very good negotiator who most
people know, Mr Alvaro de Soto, who knows these issues inside out. In the
process we were helped by representatives of several friendly countries and
I think if we were to resume the process, because of the time factor, I
would want to have somebody in charge who knows the issues. We will accept
assesses from governments of good will and who have influence and capacity
to help us, and try to get these negotiations conducted as soon as
possible. But that will only be possible if the parties show the will and
the determination to engage seriously in a sustained manner and in the very
short time that we would have". Asked to say what had been proposed to him
by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and whether he could
envisage talks resuming on the basis of a document other than his plan, the
UN Chief noted: "The parties in the discussion that we've had in the past
know that if we are going to proceed and we are going to become engaged, it
has to be on the basis of the plan. I had very good discussions with Prime
Minister Erdogan. We did not exchange documents if that is what you have
in mind. But what is important, is that Turkey has indicated clearly
its desire and willingness to see talks resume, negotiations resume. They
will support and actively play a role in the negotiations. The effort would
be restricted, sustained until we come to a conclusion and we are also
aware that it has to be done before the first of May. They accept that.
Of course as to the details of positions, that will have to be discussed on
the table with the others, not in a public forum like this, and I would not
want to get into anything else".
From the Republic of Cyprus Press and Information Office (PIO) Server at http://www.pio.gov.cy/
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