Cyprus welcomes McKinnon Commonwealth leadership bid

By Charlie Charalambous

CYPRUS said yesterday it welcomed New Zealand Foreign Minister Don McKinnon’s attempt to become the next Secretary-general of the Commonwealth.

“Mr McKinnon has announced to us his candidacy to become Secretary-general of the Commonwealth, and we expressed our satisfaction with his contribution to the Commonwealth,” Foreign Minister Yiannakis Cassoulides said at a joint news conference in Nicosia yesterday.

“We feel he meets all the criteria for the job if elected; our position (on the candidacy) will be made public at a later stage,” he added.

McKinnon is on a two-day visit to the island. Improving trade, the Commonwealth, the Cyprus problem and the Kosovo crisis are all on the agenda.

On the question of trade between Cyprus and New Zealand, McKinnon said: “There is a little trade between the two countries which could be increased.”

The foreign minister said his country supported the island’s EU accession process and backed his compatriot, Unficyp Chief of Mission, Dame Ann Hercus to help broker a Cyprus solution.

“I am well aware of the thumping of feet of the many envoys who come here,” said McKinnon.

“But as a former parliamentary colleague of mine I know Ann Hercus and she is a very hard working person and she can make a contribution.”

Ann Hercus is being widely tipped to replace Diego Cordovez as the special envoy for Cyprus. Cordovez stood down from his post earlier this month amid rumours he was being marginalised by America and Britain.

Although New Zealand is a long way from Kosovo, McKinnon said his country was no novice in the Balkans, sending troops as part of the UN protection force in Bosnia and with a medical unit currently operating in Skopje.

“Like everyone else, we hope to see a sustainable solution to the crisis in Kosovo,” said McKinnon.

The minister leaves the island this morning.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.