Cyprus News Agency: News in English, 07-11-02

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

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

CONTENTS

[01] HOUSE PRESIDENT - CYPRUS PROBLEM

[02] MEPs - LETTER - REHN - TURKISH EMBARGO ON CYPRUS

[03] GΕΡΜΑΝ MEP - BRITAIN - TURKEY`S AGREEMENT

[04] BAGHDATIS - PARIS MASTERS - SEMIFINALS

[01] HOUSE PRESIDENT - CYPRUS PROBLEM

The journalists held two seperate meetings today with President of the House of Representatives Demetris Christofias and Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Averof Neofytou.

Replying to questions by the journalists, Christofias said that answerable for the stalemate of the Cyprus issue is Turkey and its intransigent stance.

He also expressed concern over the fact that the alleged compromise achieved by the military and political leadership in Turkey during the recent elections have affected in a negative manner the prospects for a Cyprus solution.

House President referred to the July 8th 2006 Agreement, agreed between the leaders of both communities in Cyprus in the presence of the former UN Undersecretary General Ibrahim Gabarri, saying that problems have arisen regarding its implementation and condemned Turkey for raising obstacles and making efforts to call it ineffective.

Christofias noted the need for the implementation of the Agreement in order to prepare the ground for substantive talks aiming at reaching a comprehensive settlement.

Referring to the Annan plan, he explained that the Greek Cypriots have not rejected the solution of the Cyprus problem, but rather the particular plan, which did not provide for the real reunification of Cyprus.

After the rejection of the Annan plan they talk about the so called isolation of the Turkish Cypriots. The Republic of Cyprus has not imposed any sort of isolation to the Turkish Cypriots. The isolation is a result of the Turkish occupation army which holds 37% of the territory of Cyprus, he clarified.

He stressed Cyprus governments adherence to a solution based on a bizonal, bicommunal federation and said that the Turkish side, instead of pursuing a solution that unites Cyprus, it proclaimed a pseudostate which has been condemned by various UN resolutions and the international community.

[02] MEPs - LETTER - REHN - TURKISH EMBARGO ON CYPRUS

In their letter, which was also sent to EU Commissioner for Transport and Commissions Vice President Jacques Barrot, the MEPs note that during their recent visit to Cyprus they witnessed the persistence of the Turkish authorities in applying restrictive measures to Cypriot managed shipping and Cypriot aircraft.

We confirmed as described in the Commissions progress report of 2006 that Turkey failed to remove existing restrictions concerning the access to Turkish ports of Cyprus flagged and/or managed vessels as well as of vessels whose last port of call was Cyprus, neither was progress made on the lifting of restrictions applied to Cypriot aircraft which aim to use the Turkish national airspace, nor on the restrictions on communications between Turkish and Cypriot civil aviation authorities and air navigation service providers, which result from a ban by the Turkish authorities, the letter says.

According to the MEPs, the Turkish ban constitutes an unequivocal violation of the obligations contained in the EU - Turkey Customs Union Agreement and in Council decision 2006/35EC on principles, priorities and conditions contained in the Accession Partnership with Turkey as well as towards the participation of Cyprus as member state in the Union.

[03] GΕΡΜΑΝ MEP - BRITAIN - TURKEY`S AGREEMENT

Boge took part in the demonstrations organised by Cypriots living in the UK outside Downing Street to protest the signing of a Strategic Partnership Agreement between Britain and Turkey.

Speaking in the London Greek Radio (LGR), Boge described the memorandum as very curious.

Britain should first wait to study the European Commissions` Progress Report on Turkey to be released next week in Brussels and its references on human rights before concluding strategic cooperation agreement with Turkey, he was quoted as saying.

With regard to efforts to promote the representation of the Turkish Cypriots in the European Parliament, a provision included in the memorandum, the German MEP pointed out that such a possibility is up to the European Parliament and not to Prime Ministers.

[04] BAGHDATIS - PARIS MASTERS - SEMIFINALS

Baghdatis now advances to the semifinals.

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