Cyprus News Agency: News in English, 02-10-29

Cyprus News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

From: The Cyprus News Agency at <http://www.cyna.org.cy>

CONTENTS

[01] Clerides: No ultimatum plan will be submitted

[02] Laakso: CoE should monitor Turkey on settlers in Cyprus

[03] Cyprus close to completing EU accession negotiations

[01] Clerides: No ultimatum plan will be submitted

2055:CYPPRESS:12

Clerides: No ultimatum plan will be submitted

Larnaca, Oct 29 (CNA) Cyprus President Glafcos Clerides said he does not believe a possible plan for a Cyprus settlement will be in the form of an ultimatum.

In statements during his return from Copenhagen where he attended a meeting of the 13 candidate countries with Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen, whose country is currently holding the EU rotating presidency, Clerides said the meeting did not deal with Cyprus while on his brief encounter with Turkeys President Ahmed Sezer, the President said he believes the Turks are concentrating to get a date to start accession negotiations.

The President said the Copenhagen meeting went very well and that there was no problem for Cyprus, adding that everyone considers it certain that in December Cyprus will accede to the EU.

Invited to comment on reports that a possible plan for a Cyprus settlement will be submitted before the Copenhagen European Council, Clerides said yesterdays Copenhagen meeting dealt only with enlargement issues and not the Cyprus problem.

Asked if a possible plan on Cyprus will be in the form of an ultimatum, Clerides said, I was not given this impression. And I believe that the UN Secretary General is not the kind of person who would say this is it, either you take it or leave it.

Invited to say if we will have time to study a plan, the President recalled a Turkish Foreign Ministry statement that Cyprus might accede the EU, but that does not mean we should hurry to find a settlement.

Asked about his meeting with Turkish President Ahmed Sezer, Clerides replied, my impression is that Turkeys attention is concentrating on what it will do to achieve a date to start accession negotiations.

The Danish presidency, he said, clearly told Turkey they will give her a road map which will have many conditions, and if it fulfils them, then they will decide when they will give a date to start negotiations.

[02] Laakso: CoE should monitor Turkey on settlers in Cyprus

2130:CYPPRESS:13

Laakso: CoE should monitor Turkey on settlers in Cyprus

Nicosia, Oct 29 (CNA)-- Rapporteur of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) on the colonization of Cyprus' occupied part Jaako Laakso said here today that he is going to submit a suggestion to the Council for the monitoring of Turkey as regards the question of Turkish settlers in Cyprus.

Laakso met today with the President of the Parliamentary Committee of European Affairs Tassos Papadoupolos who said that colonisation consists a crime against international law.

Speaking to CNA Laakso said he knows that ''UN Secretary General Kofi Annan is putting forward his proposal'' for a solution to the Cyprus problem, adding that this proposal must address the question of settlers ''because it is one of the key problems.''

Laakso pointed out that if this question is not addressed by the UN proposals, they ''will be lacking something''.

The Finnish Rapporteur described the issue of settlers as ''the most difficult problem to solve'', adding that in his report he is trying to define what a settler is.

[03] Cyprus close to completing EU accession negotiations

2145:CYPPRESS:14

Cyprus close to completing EU accession negotiations

by Nicos Bellos

Brussels, Oct 29 (CNA) Cyprus is very close to completing its accession negotiations with the EU.

This was confirmed during a meeting of Cyprus Chief Negotiator with the EU George Vassiliou with EU officials in Brussels.

Cyprus News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article