By Jean Christou
THE GOVERNMENT yesterday dismissed claims by House President Spyros Kyprianou that Greece and Cyprus have reached a secret deal to allow Turkey to become an EU candidate at the Helsinki summit next week.
Government Spokesman Michalis Papapetrou said Kyprianou’s claims, made in a letter to President Clerides, were both “unfounded and unacceptable”.
Rumours have been rife for weeks about a rift between Athens and Nicosia over how Greece would handle its power of veto on Turkey’s candidacy at Helsinki.
In the past Greece has always blocked Turkey’s accession aspirations until progress was made on the Cyprus issue, but the US and some other European quarters are now pushing for Turkey to be given candidacy status.
Nicosia has been concerned that Turkey would be given candidacy status without having moved an inch on Cyprus, and has expressed its worries to Athens over its position.
Last week Greek Foreign Minister George Papandreou visited the island for two days to discuss the strategy to be adopted in Helsinki.
News of Kyprianou’s letter containing the claim that Athens and Nicosia had made a secret pact on the issue came out of the blue on Monday, and even his own Diko party officials said they were unaware of it. Kyprianou has been hospitalised since November 21 with respiratory problems.
Papapetrou said yesterday he did not wish to reply to Kyprianou’s claims because it was a time for unity between all political parties with the start of the UN-sponsored proximity talks in New York on Friday.
“The reason I don’t want to expand on this issue is because the President leaves this afternoon (Tuesday) on a crucial mission and it is his intention and the government’s intention to maintain the highest possible degree of unity both here in Nicosia among the various political powers and also between Athens and Nicosia,” he said. “In any case the specific claim is rejected as baseless and unacceptable.”
Papapetrou said that Kyprianou met Papandreou in hospital last week and as far he was aware no such position was put forward by the House President. “Nor was there any statement after the meeting,” he added.
He also pointed out that no such statement were made by Diko representatives at Monday’s National Council meeting. “As a consequence we have to wonder at these claims.”
Papapetrou said there had been some differences of opinion but added that these were procedural rather than on the essence of the issues.
Clerides left yesterday for New York where he will meet on Friday with UN Secretary-general Kofi Annan at UN Headquarters. According to Annan’s spokesman Fred Eckhard, the schedule will be open-ended and “could go on for a week or more, depending on the two leaders who will be doing the talking and whether or not there is any progress being made”.
Eckhard said the Secretary-general planned to devote as much time to the talks as possible. His representative Alvaro de Soto would also be fully engaged in the talks.
US State Department Spokesman James Rubin said the purpose of the talks is to prepare the ground for meaningful negotiations.
“We believe these talks should be substantive,” Rubin said. “They will discuss core issues including security, governance and territory. In addition and obviously either side may bring other issues to the table.”
In Nicosia, diplomatic sources were reported by the Cyprus News Agency as saying: “We will not let the Turkish Cypriot leader get away with the usual tricks. We mean business, and the talks will be substantive.”
