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Cyprus PIO: News Update in English, 03-02-18
From: The Republic of Cyprus Press and Information Office Server at <http://www.pio.gov.cy/>
[01]Tuesday, 18 February 2003 Alvaro de Soto meets with President Clerides
and President-elect Mr Tassos Papadopoulos
[02] Outgoing Cyprus President meets President-elect
[03] President Clerides: the mandate belongs now to the President-
elect
[04] Simitis, Prodi and Blair congratulate new Cyprus President
[05] Greek PM and UN Chief discuss Cyprus on sidelines of EU meeting on
Iraq
[06] UN Chief hopes Iraq will not distract his attention on Cyprus
[01] Alvaro de Soto meets with President Clerides and President-elect Mr
Tassos Papadopoulos
The UN Secretary General's Special Adviser on Cyprus Mr Alvaro de Soto, had
a meeting yesterday with the outgoing President of the Republic Mr Glafcos
Clerides and later in the day with the newly elected President Mr Tassos
Papadopoulos. After the meeting with President Clerides, Mr de Soto said
that there would be no change in the process of the talks on the Cyprus
problem, adding that the meeting between Mr Clerides and Mr Denktash
scheduled for that afternoon was postponed. The United Nations would inform
the media on the schedule of the talks, he said.
Later in the day, Mr de Soto was received by the newly elected President of
the Republic, Mr Tassos Papadopoulos. In a statement after the meeting, Mr
Papadopoulos said that he and Mr De Soto listed a number of issues that had
to be addressed urgently in the framework of the negotiations and assured
Mr. De Soto of his wish for the unobstructed continuation of the UN-led
talks for a Cyprus settlement. Replying to a question on the issues he
discussed with Mr de Soto, Mr Papadopoulos said that these were issues that
had to be dealt with at once in order to decide what the next steps should
be. Asked if he would be the next interlocutor of the Greek Cypriot side at
the talks, Mr Papadopoulos said that what the people had decided was that
he would be the representative of the Greek Cypriot community at the talks.
Regarding the issue of the negotiator, that was an issue he had to look
into, he said. For his part, Mr de Soto expressed satisfaction with the
meeting and stressed that he looked forward to a close and frequent
collaboration with Mr Papadopoulos and with the new negotiating team that
would be appointed. Mr De Soto also said that the UN Secretary General's
visit to Cyprus would take place as scheduled.
[02] Outgoing Cyprus President meets President-elect
The outgoing President of the Cyprus Republic had a meeting yesterday
morning with the President-elect, Mr Tassos Papadopoulos. Speaking after
the meeting, Mr. Papadopoulos said that he had asked Mr Clerides to remain
a member of the National Council - the President's top advisory body on the
Cyprus issue - so as to make better use of his knowledge, experience and
handlings at the negotiating table. He also said that he had asked
President Clerides to provide him with a thorough and comprehensive
briefing on the progress of the peace talks and to convene the National
Council as soon as possible. Replying to a question, the President-elect
stressed that he did not intend to allow a "vacuum" at the talks, adding
that it was his objective to show willingness to continue the talks without
any break. Asked who would be meeting the UN Secretary-General on 26
February - whether it would be Mr Papadopoulos, Mr Clerides, or both - the
President-elect said it had not been decided yet, but noted that Mr Annan
had specifically asked to meet with him.
He underlined that he did not care about protocols and that he would try to
maintain a close cooperation with the outgoing President on the efforts to
resolve the Cyprus issue. He added that Mr Clerides remained the interlocutor
of the Greek Cypriot side at the talks, noting however that they would
decide when Mr Papadopoulos would take over, after Mr Clerides' return from
Brussels. Mr Papadopoulos also said that he had already formed his
negotiating team for the peace talks, but refused to announce any names as
yet.
[03] President Clerides: the mandate belongs now to the President-
elect
The President of the Republic Mr Glafcos Clerides departed for Brussels
yesterday to attend the European Council extraordinary Summit, which will
mainly deal with the crisis in the Middle East and Iraq. In a statement to
the press at Larnaca Airport prior to his departure, President Clerides
said that he was travelling to Brussels to participate in the meeting on
Iraq organised by the Greek EU Presidency, and that on Tuesday morning he
would meet with the Greek Prime Minister Mr Costas Simitis before returning
to Cyprus in the evening. Invited to comment on reports that he would not
attend the talks on the Cyprus problem again, President Clerides said that
elections took place in a democratic manner and the people decided that
some change was necessary, therefore the elected President of the Republic
should be the one to attend the talks.
Asked if he had discussed with Mr Papadopoulos the issue of accompanying
him to the meeting with the UN Secretary-General Mr Kofi Annan, President
Clerides said the issue was not discussed in detail and that he would meet
Mr Papadopoulos again on Wednesday morning. Replying to another question,
President Clerides pledged to offer Mr Papadopoulos any help he wanted,
adding that the new President would have to examine the proposals that the
Turkish side had submitted for amendments, the proposals of the Greek
Cypriot side and the minutes of the meetings in order to have a complete
picture. Regarding his participation in the National Council, President
Clerides said that the parties that were represented in the House of
Representatives participated in the Council, and therefore, if the National
Council would invite him for a briefing and for his views, he would gladly
attend. Asked about his involvement in the direct talks on Cyprus,
President Clerides said he had made it clear to Mr De Soto that the mandate
now belonged to the President-elect, therefore any help he asked of him he
would grant it, but stressed that the negotiation was not his issue
anymore. Finally, commenting on the reasons he lost the election, President
Clerides said that the people desired a change. "The people's verdict is
respected, and the change will take place", he added.
[04] Simitis, Prodi and Blair congratulate new Cyprus President
The Greek Prime Minister and European Council President, Mr Costas Simitis,
publicly congratulated the newly-elected Cyprus President, Mr Papadopoulos,
immediately after his election on Sunday night, noting that "he has the
experience and the knowledge of the situation that will enable him to
handle the Cyprus issue." He also pledged to meet with Mr Papadopoulos
soon. "He is very suitable to lead the people of Cyprus at this stage and I
am certain that our cooperation will be very good, just like it was with
the Cypriot leadership so far", Mr Simitis said during a press conference
in Brussels. Asked whether the new government in Cyprus would cause a shift
to the Greek Cypriot stance on the national issue, the Greek Premier noted,
"I believe that he [Mr Papadopoulos] will confront the situation realistically,
and I do not think there will be a different line form that pursued so far,
as far as essentials are concerned."
He added that the outgoing President, Mr Clerides, had forged a path for
the new leadership to follow. Congratulations to the new President were
also conveyed by the Greek President, Mr Costantinos Stephanopoulos and the
Foreign Minister, Mr George Papandreou.
In addition, the President of the European Commission, Mr Romano Prodi,
sent a congratulatory telegram to Mr Papadopoulos yesterday, noting the
following: "I am sure that under your leadership Cyprus will continue to
prepare successfully for membership of the European Union by 1 May 2004.
Your broad knowledge on EU matters obtained as President of the European
Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives will guarantee such an
achievement." "I expect also that your election will lead to the solution
of the Cyprus issue based on the comprehensive settlement as proposed by
the United Nations", Mr Prodi added. The British Prime Minister, Mr Tony
Blair, also sent a congratulatory message to Mr Papadopoulos, saying that
the British government was looking forward to working with the new Cyprus
government as regards efforts to find "a just and lasting settlement by the
UN deadline of the 28 February." The message adds that the British
government was encouraged by the new President's endorsement of the revised
Annan plan. Mr Papadopoulos was elected president from the first round of
the presidential elections of last Sunday, after having secured 51.51% of
the vote, ousting incumbent President Mr Glafcos Clerides who received
38.8%.
[05] Greek PM and UN Chief discuss Cyprus on sidelines of EU meeting on
Iraq
The Greek Prime Minister and EU President, Mr Costas Simitis, discussed the
Cyprus problem with the UN Secretary-General, Mr Kofi Annan, with whom he
met yesterday, on the sidelines of the extraordinary European Council
meeting in Brussels on the Iraq crisis. According to the Greek Government
Spokesman, Mr Christos Protopapas, Mr Simitis informed Mr Annan on the
content of his telephone conversation with the newly-elected Cyprus
President, assuring him that Mr Papadopoulos was in a "positive spirit".
The Secretary-General, Mr Protopapas said, stated that he would meet with
the new President during his visit to Cyprus on 26 February, before
announcing any new proposals on the continuation of the peace talks for a
settlement.
He added that Prime Minister Simitis informed Mr Annan on the meeting he
had earlier with his Turkish counterpart Mr Abdullah Gul, where it was
agreed that the negotiations on the issue of security, in the framework of
a comprehensive Cyprus settlement, would be concluded next week.
[06] UN Chief hopes Iraq will not distract his attention on Cyprus
"I hope Iraq will not distract me from my objective to reach an agreement
by the end of February", the UN Secretary-General, Mr Kofi Annan, stressed
during a press conference in Brussels yesterday, when asked if the Iraqi
crisis could undermine the peace efforts in Cyprus. He added that he would
continue with the efforts to reach a comprehensive settlement to the Cyprus
problem by the end of February, a deadline which he still considered
feasible. In addition, Mr Annan congratulated the newly-elected President
in Cyprus and noted that Mr Papadopoulos was well versed in the Cyprus
problem. He hoped that with the help of the new President and the outgoing
President, Mr Clerides, a positive conclusion in the peace talks could be
reached.
From the Republic of Cyprus Press and Information Office (PIO) Server at http://www.pio.gov.cy/
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