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Athens News Agency: News in English, 10-01-13Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>CONTENTS
[01] FinMin met with IMF delegationTax policy and management, budget preparation systems as well as public spending control and assessment were the main issues discussed Wednesday during a meeting between Finance Minister George Papaconstantinou and a visiting International Monetary Fund (IMF) delegation.The meeting was held at the invitation of the ministry of finance, which has requested IMF assistance on the above issues. During its 10-day visit to Greece, the IMF delegation will have contacts with government ministers and Bank of Greece (BoG) officials. [02] Kyprianou winds up visitCyprus AKEL party leader Andros Kyprianou on Wednesday stressed that up until now proposals expressed by the Turkish Cypriot side do not provide conditions for a quick solution to the Cyprus issue.Kyprianou, who concluded his meetings with officials in Athens this week, said Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat's proposals are outside the framework of the UN resolutions and international accords, adding that such positions lead to the establishment of a confederation instead of a federation. "Turkey has set targets that do not comply with the agreed basis," he underlined. The Greek Cypriot side, he added, believes that the specific proposals cannot be accepted as the basis for negotiations because they lead to efforts for a solution that would be outside the agreed to basis, and this is not satisfactory. He reiterated that the internationally-recognised Republic of Cyprus desires the reunification of the island, and not its partition, "which would be a sell-out to Turkey". "We are trying to find ways to reunify our country; we have been giving struggling since 1977 for a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation, and we will not sign any bad solution. If the Turkish-occupied part will not permit a solution, we, on our part, will not permit the partition of the island," he emphasised. Asked about "elections" in occupied Cyprus next April and the possibility of Turkish Cypriot party leader Dervis Eroglu winning them, Kyprianou noted that "a significant difference exists between Messrs Talat and Eroglu, however, Mr. Talat does not have the same views on the issue he had a decade ago ... The positions of the Republican Turkish party have changed for the worse." "We may agree on the basic principles for a single sovereignty, a single nationality and a single international entity, but when they submit their views, officially, these do not lead to a solution," he elaborated. Finally, Kyprianou expressed his thanks to the Greek authorities for their support. Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |