Cyprus News Agency: News in English, 05-07-14

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

CONTENTS

[01] Cypriot President ready to accept viable settlement

[01] Cypriot President ready to accept viable settlement

2120:CYPPRESS:13

Cypriot President ready to accept viable settlement

Nicosia, Jul 14 (CNA) - Cypriot President Tassos Papadopoulos stressed today his readiness to say ''yes'' to a functional and viable solution of the Cyprus problem but to say ''no'' again to a tortuous and handicapped settlement of the question.

In a speech at the Presidential Palace during an event on the occasion of the 1974 military coup against the democratically elected President of Cyprus and the subsequent Turkish invasion of the island, President Papadopoulos said the solution plan proposed by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan remained the basis of negotiations, and sent a message of unity for a successful outcome of the struggle of the people of Cyprus.

President Papadopoulos said the proposals of the Greek Cypriot side aim at achieving agreed changes to the Annan plan, so that the solution would permanently safeguard the legitimate interests of the people in a common united homeland, now an EU member state.

The military coup against the first President of the Republic, Archbishop Makarios, engineered by the military junta then ruling Greece, was followed five days later by the Turkish invasion, which resulted in the illegal occupation of the island's northern third and its de facto division.

Referring to the gap in the two sides' positions, President Papadopoulos said this unavoidably would continue to exist, as long as the aim of the Turkish side was to upgrade the puppet regime in the Turkish occupied areas and create two separate legal entities on the island.

''The solution of a bizonal, bicommunal federation is and remains an unchanged, unmoved and steadfast position for us. The Annan plan remains the basis for negotiations. This policy of ours has not changed. All the changes we discussed in recent talks with the UN were based on this plan,'' he said.

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