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Cyprus PIO: News Update in English, 03-02-11
From: The Republic of Cyprus Press and Information Office Server at <http://www.pio.gov.cy/>
[01]Tuesday, 11 February 2003 Peace talks to resume on Friday, says UN
Spokesman
[02] Foreign Minister: Cyprus will adopt EU position on Iraq
[03] Cyprus and Italy sign customs agreement
[01] Peace talks to resume on Friday, says UN Spokesman
The Spokesman for the UN Secretary-General, Mr. Fred Eckhard, noted, at
yesterday's press briefing, that the Secretary-General's Special Adviser on
Cyprus, Mr. Alvaro de Soto, would be at UN Headquarters in New York today
to brief Mr. Kofi Annan on the Cyprus peace talks. Asked to give information
on Mr. de Soto's schedule in New York, the UN Spokesman said, "Apparently
this morning [Monday] he met with the two leaders, then left Cyprus for New
York. There will not be talks in Cyprus on Wednesday as he will be here to
brief the Secretary-General. I don't have any details on when exactly that
might happen. We'll try to get back to you as soon as we know and then
talks resume on Cyprus on Friday when de Soto will be back."
Invited to say whether Mr. Annan would submit another revised plan, Mr.
Eckhard replied, "I don't think we want to comment on second and third
plans at this stage."
[02] Foreign Minister: Cyprus will adopt EU position on Iraq
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Ioannis Kasoulides, stated yesterday
that Cyprus would comply with a collective European Union decision on Iraq,
noting that so far the Government had decided not to provide any facilities
to the US in an attack against Iraq. "A collective position of the European
Union must be sought in case there is no compliance with the implementation
of resolution 1441. Mr. Blix and Mr. ElBaradei have some time to continue
with their inspection and final decisions can be made at a later time. Our
opinion is that the Security Council is the supreme body when it comes to
maintaining security and peace in the world. In addition, at some point
there would have to be a consultation between the EU member states and
candidate countries on a common stance", Mr. Kasoulides said.
On the Cyprus problem, the Foreign Minister reiterated the position that
there were prospects for significant developments in the near future,
warning at the same time that those developments could bring the Greek
Cypriot side before dilemmas that would require collective decisions. Mr.
Kasoulides referred to three examples, indicative of the mobility that
existed in relation to efforts to find a settlement, namely, the UN
Secretary-General's request for a Greco-Turkish agreement on the issue of
security, a possible submission of another revised solution plan by the UN,
and the possibility of a visit by Mr. Annan to the island, which is
something that UN officials did not exclude, as he claimed.
[03] Cyprus and Italy sign customs agreement
Cyprus and Italy signed yesterday a cooperation agreement on the prevention,
investigation and suppression of customs related offences.
The agreement was signed by the Director of the Cyprus Customs and Excise
Department, Ms. Zeta Emilianidou and her Italian counterpart, Mr. Mario
Andrea Guaiana, in the presence of the Finance Minister, Mr. Takis Klerides
and the Italian Ambassador to Cyprus, Mr. Gherardo la Francesca. Speaking
at the signing ceremony, the Finance Minister said that the agreement had
sealed the excellent relations between the two countries in the field of
customs. "Cyprus, particularly following the historic Copenhagen decision,
assumes greater significance as well as greater responsibilities in the
fight against drug trafficking and other customs related offences", Mr.
Klerides noted. He added that agreements like these were particularly
important for Cyprus, as they were related to the efforts for adopting and
implementing the European Union's acquis communautaire.
From the Republic of Cyprus Press and Information Office (PIO) Server at http://www.pio.gov.cy/
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