Cyprus News Agency: News in English, 08-05-07

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

CONTENTS

[01] GOVERNMENT - TURKEY

[01] GOVERNMENT - TURKEY

The Greek Cypriot side does not need any encouragement from anyone to work towards a settlement, since it is trying with good will and hard work to pave the way towards a political settlement, he told his daily press briefing.

The Spokesman was commenting on calls by Turkeys Foreign Minister Ali Babacan to the EU to urge the Greek Cypriot side to work towards a settlement, which will reunite Cyprus, divided since the 1974 Turkish invasion.

As far as we are concerned, it is the Turkish National Security Council that needs to be encouraged to work towards a solution, whose positions on Cyprus are extreme and contrary even to decisions of the international community, the UN Security Council and the EU, Stephanou pointed out.

He noted that Babacan spoke about technical support to be afforded by the EU to the process which has started on the island between the Greek Cypriot and the Turkish Cypriot communities, to prepare the ground for substantive negotiations between the community leaders.

Stephanou recalled that the President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barosso speaking recently before the Turkish parliament called on Turkey to change its position.

We will continue to work hard and with good will as we have been doing so far to help the process underway succeed and open the road towards a comprehensive negotiation on the Cyprus problem, he added.

Replying to another question, Stephanou said that the Greek Cypriot side has refrained from making any statements because we believe that extreme positions, provocations and public negotiations do not help the current process.

That is why we maintain a low profile and we do not make any statements, he said, adding that what we have said so far was sometimes in order to respond to statements made.

We have said from the very beginning that we will keep a low profile, we will show patience and in a calm manner because we want these process to succeed and we want every side to raise those issues that it wants to during the process and to discuss it there, even if there is disagreement or a gap between positions, he added.

Commenting on remarks from the Turkish Cypriot side that the Greek Cypriot side is trying to impose the basis of negotiations and that President Christofias is talking about the future status of Turkish settlers, in Turkish occupied Cyprus, Stephanou said that we have not opened any issue, including the issue of the settlers.

The basis of a settlement that we pursue is what we has been agreed between us, the High Level Agreements of 1977-79, the 8 July Agreement and the 21 March Agreement, UN resolutions and international law and European law principles, bearing in mind that Cyprus is an EU member state and Turkey aspires to be a member, he noted.

These agreements and decisions refer to a bicommunal bizonal federation in Cyprus and not two states, as the Turkish side has often advocated.

In March 2008, President Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat, during a meeting in the presence of the UN, agreed to set up working groups and technical committees to deal with various aspects of the Cyprus problem with a view to prepare the ground for substantive negotiations between the two leaders. Six working groups and seven technical committees were set up and are currently holding meetings here.

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