By Jean Christou
THE NOMINEE for new US ambassador to Cyprus, Donald Bandler, hopes the Group of Eight will add to the impetus for Cyprus talks to resume this Autumn.
“Secretary Albright is in Europe now meeting with her EU and G8 colleagues, and we do hope that the G8 will say something positive in the days ahead. The Ministers will discuss it and we know it is on Secretary Albright’s agenda,” he said.
“We hope then that they will further the impetus to the idea that we should begin negotiations this fall.”
As President Clinton’s nominee for the Cyprus posting, Bandler was addressing the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
“The G8 are not expected to have their own initiative or be directly involved in the negotiations, but the member states are very interested on the issue,” Bandler said.
“We do have about nine months ahead, we have the new Turkish government and we do have the EU factor and other reasons in an unsteady status quo to work to move forward in this time frame. So we hope the G8 will lend its voice and give further impulse to this idea.”
Asked about the impact of the EU accession process on the Cyprus problem, Bandler said there were EU countries that had said both privately and publicly that they were uncomfortable with the notion of bringing a divided island into the EU. “Turkey’s policies on the Cyprus issue will also affect the way EU sees the issue of candidacy,” Bandler said.
In his address to the committee, Bandler said he was aware that Cyprus was not “just a problem”.
“It’s a country with which we have excellent bilateral relations and common interests on a wide range of issues. If confirmed, I aim to strengthen these relations…” he said.
“Over past decades, some of America’s most capable statesmen have laboured on the Cyprus problem and there is no reason to believe it is amenable to a quick fix. This must not deter us from pressing ahead with the parties and the international community to find arrangements that will meet the needs of all Cypriots and bring about a negotiated solution to this very difficult — but not intractable problem.”
If Bandler is confirmed as ambassador to Cyprus, he will probably take up his post in August, a spokesman for the US embassy said yesterday.
Outgoing ambassador Kenneth Brill is due to leave the island in July.
Meanwhile, the government yesterday announced it would lodge an official protest with the Pakistani government because its ambassador to Turkey made an ‘official’ visit to the occupied areas.
Government spokesman Costas Serezis, who is with President Clerides on his current visit to China, said Cyprus’ Beijing-based ambassador to Pakistan, Loria Markides, would make written and oral representations.
According to reports in the Turkish Cypriot press, Pakistani ambassador Karamytullah Khan Ghori and his wife visited the north last week, meeting Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash.
