SCANDAL-hit British Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Keith Vaz, yesterday found himself hounded by British journalists at a bi-communal news conference at the UN-controlled Ledra Palace hotel in Nicosia.
As local and foreign journalists vied for questions, Vaz attempted to avoid the storm surrounding him back home and had an unprovoked dig at a Greek Cypriot journalist working for the British tabloid, The Sun, which has called on him to resign.
Prime Minister Tony Blair is under pressure to sack Europe Minister Vaz after the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner said he had obstructed an official probe of his business affairs.
Vaz has been cleared of all but one of the charges levelled against him but Labour peer Lord Desay has labelled him “damaged goods” according to a seven-page exposé in The Sun on Tuesday.
Ignoring questions from the British press pack yesterday, Vaz, accompanied by Britain’s special envoy for Cyprus Sir David Hannay, answered only those relating to the Cyprus problem, the island’s accession to the EU and the abduction from British bases territory of Greek Cypriot contractor Panicos Tsiakourmas, saying that he was pressed for time.
“We must deal with questions on Cyprus,” he said. “I’m not taking any questions from The Sun journalist. I am talking about Cyprus. I’ve already told you I will come to you at the end if there is time. If not, I’m sorry, but you’ll have to wait until you get to London.”
During a subsequent question on Cyprus’ EU accession Vaz, referring to the acquis communitaire, said: “I don’t know whether the gentleman from The Sun would like me to spell that.”
Speaking of the island’s EU progress, Vaz said Britain would like to see a united Cyprus prior to accession but repeated that it was not a prerequisite. He said Cyprus was at the top of the queue and also expressed the wish for Turkey’s membership.
“Turkey remains a strong ally of the UK and we would like to see Turkey also join,” he said. “Turkey has to do what every other applicant has done. to make sure that progress is made.”
On the Cyprus question, Vaz, who met President Clerides and Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash during his brief visit, said he was firmly convinced that the UN-sponsored talks were the only way forward for a solution.
He said he had urged Denktash to return to the negotiating table. “You have to give the proximity talks a chance to be successful,” he said. “I found Denktash to be a very passionate man who believes strongly in his cause. I respect his integrity and he set out the position he has set out before.”
Speaking after his meeting with Vaz earlier yesterday, Denktash warned the British officials that taking Cyprus into the EU would be a serious mistake and would obstruct progress towards a settlement.
“Another wrong step taken by the EU. taking the Greek Cypriots into consideration militarily (in European defence plans), and to negotiate with them giving them rights under the title of the government of Cyprus, is a grave position to take and a serious mistake that will take the Cyprus problem into a dead end,” Denktash said.
“Everything is moving in the wrong direction and the EU thinks this is a joke.”
Vaz said he raised the issue of Panicos Tsiakourmas during the meeting with Denktash. Tsiakourmas was abducted from the British bases last December and charged with drug possession before a Turkish Cypriot ‘court’. Vaz met Tsiakourmas’ wife Niki yesterday afternoon.
“She is deeply distressed as are her family and I raised the case this morning with Mr Denktash,” he said, adding that a message was also sent to Turkish Foreign Minister Ismail Cem about the circumstances of the abduction.
“We made it clear that we are extremely concerned at the way in which Mr Tsiakourmas was removed and the method by which it was done,” he said.
“We will raise it again and do so in a vociferous way.”
Vaz said he had given his pledge and promise to do this to Niki Tsiakourmas.
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.
