Annan: it’s not too late for Cyprus to reunite

THOUGH the United Nations has given up for now on trying to reunite Cyprus, it is not too late for the island’s people to return to negotiations, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said yesterday.

“I hope now that they have woken up to what has happened, they will reflect and take necessary steps to get back to the table,” Annan told reporters two days after Greek Cypriots killed his reunification plan in a referendum.

“For now, we are done,” Annan said, referring to UN involvement in any future talks.

“Obviously we’re all very disappointed that the reunification efforts did not succeed,” Annan said.

“But I hope once they’ve had the chance to reflect, they will have to come to the conclusion that reunification is in the best interests of all Cyprus and perhaps wish to pick up the pieces and see where they go from there. I really would urge them to think it through,” he said.

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.