|
|
|
Cyprus PIO: News Update in English, 03-02-24
From: The Republic of Cyprus Press and Information Office Server at <http://www.pio.gov.cy/>
[01]Monday, 24 February 2003 President-elect receives UN memorandum
[02] Weston: it is necessary that the plan remains balanced
[03] US President reaffirms support to Secretary-General's peace effort
[04] Congratulatory messages to new President continue to arrive
[01] President-elect receives UN memorandum
The newly-elected President of the Republic, Mr. Tassos Papadopoulos, said
that he received a memorandum by the United Nations, which included a
synopsis of what had been discussed between him and the Secretary-General's
Special Adviser on Cyprus, Mr. Alvaro de Soto, during the last few days.
Speaking on his departure for Athens yesterday, where he will hold talks
with the Greek Premier and other government and political officials, Mr.
Papadopoulos noted, replying to a question, that the memorandum was not a
third solution plan, but an outline of the points discussed during the last
four or five days, in order to see "if they [UN] have understood correctly
and if we have understood correctly what has been talked about." Invited to
give a justification as to why the memorandum was put forward at this
particular time, Mr. Papadopoulos said that it was because Mr. Kofi Annan,
who would be visiting Cyprus on Wednesday, would like to "hear our views
himself". Asked to say whether the submission of the memorandum eliminated
the possibility of a third plan being presented, the President-elect
replied negatively, adding, "I asked the UN if what we discussed will
affect the third revised plan and the reply by Mr. De Soto was that he
didn't know and that it was up to the UN Secretary-General".
Mr. Papadopoulos emphasised that he did not know when and if a new plan
would be put forward, and that only Mr. Annan knew the details on that
matter. Asked if he agreed with a statement by the House President, Mr.
Demetris Christofias, who called on the UN not to present a new plan at
this time, Mr. Papadopoulos replied that he shared that position, which was
also a position of the outgoing President, Mr. Glafcos Clerides. "A hasty
submission of a plan with the essence of take-it-or-leave-it may damage the
possibilities of this new plan constituting the basis for further
negotiations", he added. In a reply to another question, Mr. Papadopoulos
expressed the view that "if a solution has not been reached yet, this is
entirely due to the Turkish stance and to Mr. Denktash's intransigence",
adding that "in order to be able to hope for a quick solution, we must
anticipate a clarification of the Turkish positions and a change in Mr.
Denktash's intransigence." Mr. Papadopoulos stated that he travelled to the
Greek capital at the invitation of the Greek Prime Minister, Mr. Costas
Simitis, for talks on the present phase as well as possible future
developments on the Cyprus problem. He said that during his visit to Athens
he would convey the gratitude of the Cyprus people towards the Greek
government, political leadership and the Greek people for their constant
support regarding the settlement of the Cyprus issue and the successful
conclusion of Cyprus' accession course. He also said that he expected to be
briefed on the Greco-Turkish talks vis-a-vis the issue of security, as part
of a comprehensive settlement in Cyprus, and stressed that any possible
solution must ensure safety and the sense of security for all citizens.
Moreover, speaking upon his arrival in Athens last night, Mr. Papadopoulos
thanked the Greek Premier for the invitation and noted that it was right
for his first official visit as the new Cyprus President to be to Greece.
Asked if he was ready to negotiate anything that Mr. Annan might propose,
he replied, "We have said right from the start that we are ready to
negotiate anything, we seek negotiations." On his discussions in Nicosia
last Saturday with the US State Department's Special Coordinator for Cyprus,
Mr. Thomas Weston, Mr. Papadopoulos noted that the US official had told him
that any new proposals would be "balanced for both sides".
Mr. Tassos Papadopoulos will hold talks today with the Greek Prime Minister,
Mr. Simitis, the Greek President, Mr. Constantinos Stephanopoulos, the
Greek House President, Mr. Apostolos Kaklamanis, and political party
leaders.
[02] Weston: it is necessary that the plan remains balanced
The US State Department's Special Coordinator for Cyprus, Mr. Thomas Weston,
met with the outgoing Cyprus President, Mr. Glafcos Clerides, on Friday and
with the newly-elected President, Mr. Tassos Papadopoulos, on Saturday.
Mr. Weston also met with the House President, Mr. Demetris Christofias, on
Saturday. Speaking after his meeting with Mr. Christofias, the US diplomat
noted that "it is necessary that this plan remain a balanced one in
whichever way it might change and that is the importance of looking at the
plan in terms of its acceptability in a referendum on the island."
He added that Washington supported what the UN Secretary-General did as
regards the peace plan, but stressed that the plan could not "only move in
the direction of one side and still have any chance of increasing the
chances of a settlement." On his part, Mr. Christofias said that he
conveyed his concern to Mr. Weston over what was being heard about a new
revised plan, which would focus on satisfying the Turkish side's worries.
He also stressed that "we want the UN Secretary-General's initiative to
bring a result to the interest of both communities" and in a way that would
enable the Cyprus people "to say the 'big yes' to a solution". Mr. Weston
departed for visits to Ankara and Athens yesterday. He is expected to
return to the island on Wednesday.
[03] US President reaffirms support to Secretary-General's peace effort
In a telephone call to the UN Secretary-General, last Friday, the US
President, Mr. George W. Bush, referred to Cyprus, reaffirming "his support
for Mr. Kofi Annan's mission in Cyprus and the importance of reaching a
resolution on Cyprus". The above statement was made by the White House's
Spokesman, Mr. Ari Fleischer, during last Friday's press briefing at
Crawford, Texas, where the US President's private residence is located.
Mr. Fleischer said that two were the main issues discussed during Mr.
Bush's telephone conversation with the Secretary-General, namely, the
situation in Cyprus and the Iraqi crisis, noting that the issue of Cyprus
was raised first. Moreover, Mr. Kofi Annan is currently in Turkey to
discuss the peace plan for Cyprus.
According to a Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, Mr. Annan will
travel to Athens tomorrow and he will be visiting Cyprus on Wednesday, 26
February.
[04] Congratulatory messages to new President continue to arrive
Messages of congratulations to the Cyprus President-elect continued to
arrive last week and over the weekend. Specifically, the French President,
Mr. Jacques Chirac, sent a congratulatory message to Mr. Papadopoulos,
wishing him every success in his work ahead, especially in light of the
intensive talks for reunifying the island. Mr. Chirac further noted his
country's satisfaction over the successful conclusion of Cyprus' EU
accession negotiations and hoped for the achievement of a political
settlement on the basis of the UN Secretary-General's plan. In addition,
the President of the Swiss Confederation, Mr. Pascal Conchepin, sent his
congratulations to Mr. Papadopoulos, wishing him success in his post, as
well as personal well-being and future prosperity for Cyprus. Mr. Conchepin
said that Switzerland fully supported the UN efforts for a settlement and
hoped that both sides would soon reach an agreement on the basis of the
Annan plan. Congratulatory telegrams to the new President were also
conveyed by the Presidents of Finland, Estonia, Syria, and Guyana, as well
as by the Indian Prime Minister, the King of Bahrain, the Emir of Qatar and
the High Representative of the EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy, Mr.
Javier Solana.
From the Republic of Cyprus Press and Information Office (PIO) Server at http://www.pio.gov.cy/
|
