PRESIDENT Glafcos Clerides today made it clear to UN special adviser for Cyprus Alvaro de Soto that the Greek Cypriot side would not agree to a change in the procedure for the UN-sponsored proximity talks.
Government Spokesman Michalis Papapetrou told reporters after Clerides’ two-hour meeting with De Soto that the President had underlined the need for UN Secretary-general Kofi Annan to set a date for the continuation of the proximity talks.
If either of the two sides does not respond to the invitation, the issue should go to the Security Council, the President told De Soto.
The Greek Cypriot side has already signalled its acceptance to return for a new round of talks on condition the format under which they have been held until now does not change. The talks had originally been due to resume yesterday in Geneva, but Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash is insisting he will not participate unless his breakaway regime in the north is recognised.
De Soto arrived on the island on Thursday night in a last-ditch attempt to persuade Denktash to return to negotiations. He will meet the Turkish Cypriot leader on Sunday, which will be followed by a second meeting with Clerides on Monday.
The UN has remained adamant that the format of the talks will not change, and De Soto reiterated that stance yesterday. Asked by reporters of a possible change in the procedure, he said: “I bring no proposal to that effect.”
Papapetrou confirmed that the UN has made no such proposal.
“It has been made clear by the President of the Republic that there can be no change in the process and the procedure followed vis-a-vis the efforts for the solution of the Cyprus problem,” Papapetrou said.
“What is under way are the proximity talks, and there is a need for the continuation of these talks.”
He added that Clerides had told the UN envoy that the Greek Cypriot side was ready for proximity talks or even face-to-face talks.
“It has also been stressed by President Clerides that the (UN) Secretary General must fix a date for these talks to be continued,” Papapetrou said, adding that the Greek Cypriot side expected the meetings to continue within a reasonable timetable.
De Soto had brought no proposals at all, he added.
Replying to a question by a Turkish Cypriot journalist on what the Greek Cypriot side would do if Denktash insisted on his refusal to participate in proximity talks, Papapetrou clarified that the Greek Cypriot side and President Clerides did not aim at putting Denktash or Turkey into a corner.
“What the Greek Cypriot side really wants is to continue the effort that started and build up the necessary political will for the necessary compromise to reach a solution of the Cyprus problem,” he said.
He said, however, that if Denktash and Turkey continued to be negative and avoid the negotiating table, “Then we are of the opinion that the Secretary General has the obligation to report to the Security Council and describe the real facts.”
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.
