Cyprus PIO: News Update in English, 02-02-27

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From: The Republic of Cyprus Press and Information Office Server at <http://www.pio.gov.cy/>

Wednesday, 27 February 2002

CONTENTS

• [01] Press statement on Cyprus by President of the UN Security Council
• [02] President of the Government of Spain holds talks with President Clerides
• [03] Foreign Minister to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting

[01] Press statement on Cyprus by President of the UN Security Council

"Members of the Council heard a briefing on 26 February from Alvaro de Soto, the Secretary-General's Special Adviser on Cyprus. Mr. de Soto briefed Council members on the series of direct meetings between the two leaders, which ran from 16 January to 19 February.

The members of the Council recalled and reaffirmed the views which the Council had expressed before the series of direct meetings began. They welcomed the commencement of regular negotiating sessions under the auspices of the Secretary-General, pursuant to the agreement reached by the two leaders on 4 December 2001; and the engagement in substantive discussions to achieve a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus problem.

They urged both leaders to approach the resumption of the talks on 1 March in a spirit of compromise and with a sense of urgency and political determination, so as to narrow the differences between them. The members of the Council share the view expressed by each of the two leaders that it should be the objective to reach agreement by June and that this objective is a feasible one.

They reiterated their full support for the Secretary-General's mission of good offices entrusted to him by the Council in Security Council resolution 1250."

Asked to comment on the above statement, Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides said that the Council's statement reflects the seriousness it attaches to the talks process and its desire to remain informed about these talks. The UN Secretary General's Special Adviser for Cyprus Mr Alvaro de Soto will be briefing the Council once a month and depending on developments in the talks, it will be issuing a statement, he said.

Mr Kasoulides stressed that he considered this to be particularly important in relation to the intentions of the UN Security Council and of the international community to monitor the efforts for finding a solution to the Cyprus problem.

[02] President of the Government of Spain holds talks with President Clerides

President Clerides and the President of the Government of Spain held talks at the end of which they made statements to the press.

In his statement, President Clerides said that during the talks with Mr Aznar, he had the opportunity to inform him and the Spanish delegation on Cyprus/ accession course, its efforts towards harmonization, the effective implementation of the acquis communautaire and the general preparations, so that Cyprus may be able to fully assume its rights and its obligations from the first day of its accession to the European family.

"Even though the visit of the President of the Government of Spain is carried out within the framework of his contacts regarding European Union matters, I also had the opportunity to brief him on developments about the Cyprus issue," he said.

President Clerides said he gave his assurances to the President of the European Council that the Government would make all possible efforts for a viable solution to the Cyprus problem based on the UN resolutions, the High- Level Agreements and on the acquis communautaire.

"Our aim is a reunited Cyprus which will not only be able to speak in one voice within the European Union but will also be in a position to apply effectively the acquis communautaire and the policies of the European Union, " he said.

For his part Mr Aznar underlined the commitment of the Spanish Presidency and the EU to the accession process and congratulated Cyprus for its efforts to adopt the acquis communautaire, noting that these efforts are highlighted by the European Commission's progress reports for Cyprus.

"I expressed to the President our determination to keep the time schedule which has been planned for the enlargement so that we the 15 can agree first between us and negotiate with the candidate countries, the chapters that the Spanish Presidency has undertaken to complete. This will allow us to make decisions regarding enlargement before the end of this year. We will focus our efforts as far as possible so that this time schedule is respected during the Spanish Presidency, Mr Aznar said.

Mr Aznar stressed that the European Union reaffirms its position, which was recorded in the conclusions of the Helsinki Summit and expressed the hope that the talks, which have started, would lead to the safeguarding of stability, peace and security in the island.

"Progress in these talks will give an impetus to Cyprus' European Union accession course, but I would like, to make it clear that the decision of the European Union will be taken regardless of the outcome or the progress of the negotiations. This commitment has been undertaken by the European Union and I have confirmed it to President Clerides today," he concluded.

[03] Foreign Minister to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting

In a statement to the press prior to his departure, Mr Kasoulides said that due to the direct talks on Cyprus, the President of the Republic Mr Glafcos Clerides would not be able to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

Mr Kasoulides explained that the meeting would deal with a series of issues, including a report that has been prepared on the future and the role of the Commonwealth, with international problems such as terrorism and with issues directly related to Commonwealth members, such as Zimbabwe, Sierra Leone, Pakistan and of course Cyprus.

On the Cyprus problem, Mr Kasoulides said that he would brief the Commonwealth on the outcome of the first round of direct talks for finding a solution. He also said that in the joint communique that is expected to be issued, there would be a reference to Cyprus.

From the Republic of Cyprus Press and Information Office (PIO) Server at http://www.pio.gov.cy/

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