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Cyprus PIO: News Update in English, 03-02-19
From: The Republic of Cyprus Press and Information Office Server at <http://www.pio.gov.cy/>
[01]Wednesday, 19 February 2003 Outgoing President Clerides meets Simitis
and Cox in Brussels
[02] UN receives over 1000 entries for Cyprus flag and anthem competition
[03] US State Department congratulates President-elect
[04] Lord Hannay: Mr. Papadopoulos' will to negotiate on UN plan is a
positive thing
[05] European Parliament President conveys congratulations to new
President
[01] Outgoing President Clerides meets Simitis and Cox in Brussels
The outgoing Cyprus President, Mr. Glafcos Clerides, met with the Greek
Prime Minister and European Council President, Mr. Costas Simitis,
yesterday in Brussels, on the sidelines of the EU meeting on the Iraq
crisis. Mr. Simitis congratulated Mr. Clerides for his handlings on the
Cyprus problem and Cyprus' EU accession course, and expressed appreciation
for Mr. Clerides' work and personality.
On his part, President Clerides said that everything that had been achieved
was due to the support and help of the Greek government. He expressed the
certainty that the Greek Premier would continue incessantly his efforts for
a solution to the Cyprus problem. The outgoing President also met with the
European Parliament President, Mr. Pat Cox, who thanked Mr. Clerides for
his "consistently determined commitment" for the achievement of a
comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus problem. "We still earnestly hope
that a single Cyprus will sign the Accession Treaty but of course we fully
understand than on the 16 of April Cyprus will sign, but the question is
which Cyprus. But that is a question for the Cypriots to decide", Mr. Cox
noted.
[02] UN receives over 1000 entries for Cyprus flag and anthem competition
The Deputy Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, Ms. Hua Jiang, made
the following statement on Cyprus during yesterday's press briefing at UN
Headquarters in New York: "Yesterday [Monday, 17 February] at 5 p.m. local
time was the deadline for the submission of entries for the competition for
a new Cyprus flag and anthem. The UN has so far registered upwards of 1,000
entries, with some more being still being registered. Submissions from
abroad are expected to continue to arrive by mail over the next two
days. According to the UN mission in Cyprus, most contestants submitted
multiple entries. They came from individuals, schools and commercial
graphic design firms. Standards were very high, very professional.
Anthem compositions were submitted as scores, with some accompanied by
recordings on tape and CD of renditions by full orchestras.
One flag design was submitted by the Greek Cypriot father and Turkish
Cypriot mother of a talented three-year-old. Entries were sent from Greece,
Turkey, Cyprus, of course, and from as far afield as Japan, Australia, New
Zealand, Canada and the US. Others came from the UK, Spain, Belgium and
Norway." With regard to the Secretary-General's contacts in Brussels, where
the extraordinary European Council meeting on Iraq took place, the UN
Spokesperson noted that Mr. Annan met separately with the Greek Prime
Minister, Mr. Simitis, and his Turkish counterpart, Mr. Abdullah Gul, with
whom he discussed Iraq and efforts to reach an agreement on the Cyprus
problem by the end of this month.
With the Greek Premier, Mr. Annan also discussed the effect of the Sunday
presidential elections in Cyprus on the peace process, the UN Spokesperson
said.
[03] US State Department congratulates President-elect
The US State Department has congratulated the newly-elected Cyprus
President, Mr. Tassos Papadopoulos, for his election victory of last Sunday,
and urged both sides on the island to seize the "unique opportunity" for
resolving the longstanding Cyprus conflict. The congratulatory statement,
which was made by a high ranking State Department official, reads as
follows: "We congratulate Mr. Tassos Papadopoulos upon his election as the
5th President of the Republic of Cyprus and thank outgoing President
Clerides for his significant contributions to the cause of peace on the
island. The US has enjoyed a strong relationship with Cyprus and both
countries have benefited from our mutual cooperation in the war on
terrorism and on other vital issues. We look forward to building further on
that foundation. Mr. Papadopoulos takes office at a historic moment for
Cyprus. The UN Secretary-General's initiative which the US strongly
supports holds out the opportunity for Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots
to achieve a just and comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus problem.
We urge both sides to seize this unique opportunity. A settlement would
enable all Cypriots to benefit from the accession of a reunited Cyprus to
the EU and make a lasting contribution to regional stability." Moreover,
the US President Mr. George W. Bush is expected to send a congratulatory
telegram to Mr. Papadopoulos today, which will be conveyed through the US
Embassy in Nicosia.
[04] Lord Hannay: Mr. Papadopoulos' will to negotiate on UN plan is a
positive thing
The British Special Representative for Cyprus, Lord David Hannay, said that
statements made by President-elect Mr. Tassos Papadopoulos about negotiating
for a solution on the basis of the UN plan were "rather positive".
In an interview to the BBC TV World Service, last Monday, Lord Hannay
expressed the belief that reaching an agreement by 28 February was still
possible, adding, "I gather he [Mr. Papadopoulos] intends to work extremely
closely with President Clerides in the next two weeks. Let's see where we
can get to." On the peace talks, the British envoy noted that they had been
going on for more than three years and the ground had thus been very well
prepared for an agreement. "Of course there are still gaps and that's why
Kofi Annan is going to come to the island", he added.
Lord Hannay noted that the Secretary-General would probably revise his
earlier proposals, "not fundamentally but he is going to make changes which
will, no doubt, reflect some of the points that have been made to him by
both sides." "I am sure there can be changes but at this very late stage if
you want change the other side are likely to want to change too, not
necessarily on the same issues", he said, adding however that "there is a
possibility for change, otherwise the UN wouldn't be even contemplating
revising its proposals." Referring to the newly-elected President, Lord
Hannay said, "The fact is that the main party that supported the Papadopoulos
campaign apart from his own party, Akel, the communist party has traditionally
been the party in Cyprus that most wants a solution."
Although he admitted that the view of Mr. Papadopoulos from the north, and
from Mr. Denktash in particular, was "not a positive one", Lord Hannay
stressed that one should not read too much into the past, but to the
present and the future, citing Mr. Papadopoulos' statements that he was
willing to negotiate on the basis of the UN plan.
[05] European Parliament President conveys congratulations to new
President
The President of the European Parliament (EP), Mr. Pat Cox, congratulated
the newly-elected Cyprus President, Mr. Papadopoulos, on his victory in the
first round of the Presidential elections of last Sunday. A statement
issued by Mr. Cox's office said that the EP President had telephoned Mr.
Papadopoulos on Monday night to wish him "every success in taking on this
heavy responsibility at this immensely challenging time."
From the Republic of Cyprus Press and Information Office (PIO) Server at http://www.pio.gov.cy/
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