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Cyprus PIO: News Update in English, 04-02-17
From: The Republic of Cyprus Press and Information Office Server at <http://www.pio.gov.cy/>
[01]Tuesday, 17 February 2004 Foreign Minister meets European Commissioner
for Internal Market and Taxation
[02] UN envoy holds talks with EU Presidency en route to Cyprus
[03] US welcomes agreement to resume Cyprus talks
[01] Foreign Minister meets European Commissioner for Internal Market and
Taxation
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Georgios Iacovou, had a meeting
yesterday with the European Commissioner for Internal Market and Taxation,
Mr Frits Bolkestein, who is visiting the island. Speaking after the meeting,
Mr Iacovou said he and Mr Bolkestein had discussed the agreement reached in
New York last week for resuming talks on a solution of the Cyprus problem
and the involvement of the European Commission in the negotiations.
"Mr Bolkestein showed great interest in the issues pertaining to his
portfolio - economic and fiscal issues - as these arise from the Annan
plan", he noted. Mr Iacovou expressed the position that the contribution of
the EU in the peace process would be substantial, adding that a team of
experts from the European Commission would be in Cyprus in order to be
giving advice to the negotiating team.
For his part, Commissioner Bolkestein reiterated the European Commission's
satisfaction over the resumption of the talks for a settlement before 1 May
2004, noting the Commission's preference for the accession of a united
Cyprus to the EU. He added that the Commission would be willing to assist
the peace process by making technical expertise available and also by
granting funds - worth 250 million Euro - as structural assistance after
the achievement of a settlement.
The funds would be available for the island as a whole, Mr Bolkestein
explained, and they would be then divided according to the relative size of
each community and the relative poverty level in each community. Replying
to questions, Foreign Minister Iacovou stressed that it would be impossible
not to take into account the views of the European Union in the peace
process since the whole effort was to have a reunited Cyprus join the
Union. Regarding the role of the EU in the peace process, he said it would
mostly be on a technical level with the team of experts dealing with legal
and economic issues pertaining to the Annan plan and ruling on whether they
comply or not with the acquis communautaire. Mr Iacovou underlined, in
response to another question, that the Greek Cypriot side had always
pursued negotiations on the basis of the Annan plan for a solution by 1 May
2004 and added that the finding or not of a solution would mostly depend on
the Turkish side.
[02] UN envoy holds talks with EU Presidency en route to Cyprus
The UN Secretary-General's Special Adviser on Cyprus, Mr Alvaro de Soto,
held talks in Dublin yesterday with the Irish Prime Minister and current EU
President, Mr Bertie Ahern, on the question of Cyprus. Prior to the meeting,
the EU Presidency released the following press announcement:
"The Taoiseach and President of the European Council, Mr Bertie Ahern TD,
will hold talks with, Mr Alvaro de Soto today in Dublin. Mr de Soto is en
route from New York to Cyprus where talks on the re-unification of the
island are due to re-convene on Thursday, 19th February next. Following
three days of meetings and consultations, Mr Kofi Annan, Secretary General
of the United Nations, announced last Friday that the Greek and Turkish
Cypriots had committed to negotiating in good faith on the basis of his
plan to achieve a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus problem through
separate and simultaneous referenda before 1 May 2004. To this end, the
parties will seek to agree on changes and to complete the plan in all
respects by 22 March 2004, within the framework of Mr Annan's mission of
good offices, so as to produce a finalized text. In the absence of such
agreement, the Secretary General would convene a meeting of the two sides -
with the participation of Greece and Turkey in order to lend their
collaboration - in a concentrated effort to agree on a finalized text by 29
March. Speaking on behalf of the Presidency of the EU on Friday, the
Taoiseach welcomed the announcement made by Mr Annan in New York and
reiterated the European Union's readiness to accommodate the terms of a
settlement in line with the principles on which the EU was founded.
The accession of a united Cyprus on 1st May remains the clear preference of
the European Union and these negotiations offer a real opportunity to
achieve this historic objective." Following his consultations in the Irish
capital yesterday, Mr de Soto flew to Brussels for a meeting with
Enlargement Commissioner Mr Gunter Verheugen to discuss the latest
developments in Cyprus. Commissioner Verheugen will visit the island
tomorrow, a day before the UN-sponsored talks for a solution of the Cyprus
problem resume in Nicosia.
[03] US welcomes agreement to resume Cyprus talks
The United States has welcomed the agreement reached by the Cyprus parties
to resume negotiations for a solution of the Cyprus problem on the basis of
the UN Secretary-General's peace plan. US State Department Spokesman Mr
Richard Boucher said last Friday that the US would continue to provide all
appropriate support to achieve a just and durable settlement.
Mr Boucher's statement on Cyprus is the following: "The United States
warmly welcomes the announcement by United Nations Secretary General Kofi
Annan today [13 February 2004] that the parties on Cyprus have committed to
resume negotiations on the basis of his peace plan and to submit the
resulting settlement to referenda in time for a reunited island to join the
European Union on May 1. This step came about thanks to the constructive
spirit and political will of all the parties. An extremely helpful proposal
to create a deadlock-breaking mechanism was made by the Turkish Cypriot
side on February 11 and received a cooperative response from the Greek
Cypriot side. This allowed the Secretary General to propose a compromise
that was accepted by all the parties.
We are pleased that the parties are seizing this historic opportunity to
achieve a just and durable settlement to the long-standing division of
Cyprus. This will allow all Cypriots to enjoy the benefits of EU membership
as of May 1. The United States will continue to provide all appropriate
support to reach a successful conclusion."
From the Republic of Cyprus Press and Information Office (PIO) Server at http://www.pio.gov.cy/
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