Cyprus News Agency: News in English, 11-02-26

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

CONTENTS

[01] TALKS - LEADERS

[02] FM - LIBYA - SANCTIONS

[03] EU COMMISSIONER GEORGIEVA - INTERIOR MINISTER

[01] TALKS - LEADERS

UN Secretary General`s Special Adviser on Cyprus Alexander Downer had met Thursday with President Christofias at the Presidential Palace.

He had said that the basis of the negotiations in Cyprus remains the same, as far as the UN is concerned, as defined by Security Council resolutions and agreements reached between President Christofias and former Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat.

Cyprus, which joined the EU in 2004, has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. The leaders of the two communities in Cyprus are currently engaged in UN-led negotiations, with an aim to reunify the island, under a federal roof.

[02] FM - LIBYA - SANCTIONS

Speaking after a meeting he had with EU Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response Kristalina Georgieva, Kyprianou said there are some ideas about the sanctions that the EU may impose on Libya.

He noted that any sanctions must be targeted so that the people will not be harmed. The fact that we advice for caution does not mean that we are taking a position towards any direction, he said.

Kyprianou noted that due to the particularity of the country we must be cautious, reflect on the situation and remain targeted. He said that he expects that the EU will take its decision on the issue of sanctions in the next few days.

Asked whether humanitarian aid will be sent to Libya, Kyprianou said that this is an issue addressed by the Commission, who will send humanitarian aid, as Commission Georgieva informed him.

[03] EU COMMISSIONER GEORGIEVA - INTERIOR MINISTER

Georgieva who was speaking during a meeting she had with Minister of Interior Neoklis Sylikiotis at the Larnaca Civil Defence Regional Administration Offices said that it was very impressive to see how the Centre works here based on professionals and volunteers, noting that it has been useful to protect not only the people of Cyprus but also to provide service to people in need during the Lebanon crisis as well as in major disasters in the region especially fighting forest fires in Greece and Israel most recently.

The future of Europe and the world is one of increased, frequency and intensity of natural disasters and conflicts, she said, adding that right now we are particularly concerned about the crisis in Libya, reminding that yesterday she had decided to provide 3 million Euro emergency humanitarian support to Libya for medical help inside the country but also in order to build a camp from the border from Tunisia, possibly also in Egypt to receive refugees.

We have worked very well to coordinate the safe departure of European nationals which is not an easy task, she noted.

She expressed the opinion that Cyprus will play a very important role during the presidency in the second half of next year placing an emphasis on solidarity, on building a strong European system, adding that there is a very good opportunity for building regional centres like the one, which is designed to the specific risks and needs of this region.

We will be in a position together to work for a strong EU disaster response, in which we will upgrade the capacity of the coordination mechanism and that is something that we will achieve by the time of the presidency, she said.

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